I sampled this on a Sunday evening. I acquired it during my travels in one of the small 5cl sizes. I strongly dislike the secretive marketing approach: 'We will not disclose the age, cask type, or any details until after purchase, at which point you can visit our website to find out.' At this stage, I'm either too cynical or too indifferent to bother with that. This is why I only bought a sample and not the entire bottle...curious, but not so curious that I'd invest the effort in that obscure marketing. That being said...this is quite good. I genuinely wanted to dislike this just to protest the marketing, but I actually enjoyed it. It's overwhelmingly honey, specifically Slovenian Radovljica linden tree honey. Yes, really. I recall enjoying it so much that I brought some back from Ljubljana (a side note: it's one of the most charming small cities you can visit!). The palate is predominantly honey, followed by cinnamon and mint. However, the emphasis remains on honey. I won't check the website or buy a full bottle (purely out of defiance), but if I had to guess... I'd estimate first-fill bourbon barrels, aged approximately 15 years.
Glenlivet Cipher
Whiskey Scotch Speyside No age statement 48% ABV
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About this bottle
The Glenlivet Cipher, a single malt whisky, was introduced in June 2016. Its cask composition for aging remains undisclosed for the moment, with drinkers encouraged to explore its aromas and flavors via cipher.theglenlivet.com. The website allows users to select perceived flavors and aromas and share them on social media. Details about the cask components are planned for release later in the year. This no-age-statement single malt is presented in an opaque black bottle.
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Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 7 parsed reviews.
A good friend brought a bottle of the Chipher over last night for a drink. We really enjoyed this and had some fun comparing our tasting notes. The aroma is sweet vanilla floral with a touch of sherry. The palate has more sweetness, honey, and a little caramel; this definitely spent time in sherry casks as you can taste it. The finish was pleasantly long and warm. I really enjoyed this and might buy another bottle for the collection.
This whisky offers a truly fantastic sensory experience. From the nose to the finish, all the Glenlivet characteristics are present. Vanilla, honey, and more. I will update my notes after I've had a chance to examine more than a 1oz sample.
Nose: honey! Extremely sweet scent. Palate: fruit that's been dried - apples and pears, spices used in baking - nutmeg and cinnamon?, hints of toffee Wonderfully intricate. Sweet and spice. Really excellent!!
Aromatic notes of fruit and sugar, with a velvety and saccharine palate.
Golden, sweet, with notes of honeycomb, caramel, and chocolate.
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