First revealed towards the end of 2014, the Founder's Reserve single malt Scotch whisky is now available in the UK and will be replacing The Glenlivet 12 year old in many of the mature markets despite initial indications that it would sit beside it, broadening the entry-level options. Named in tribute to distillery founder George Smith, it's packaged in Georgian blue.
Some dates then what at first appears to be a touch of salinity, but is better described as a slightly sharp plum and apricot wine note. There's orange zest, toffee, hints of struck match and chocolate raisins, but before this starts to sound 'Sherried' there's also pear drops, a dusting of sweet cinnamon, honeysuckle and sweet pea.
Fruity, then sweet, more toffee, a touch of anise, then into milk chocolate Flakes, banoffee pie and apple turnovers.
Creamy toffee to the fore now, a little oak and sweet barley sugar warmth too. Milk chocolate raisins linger.
Perhaps a little sweet, but it would work well with ice where the sweetness would be slightly suppressed - and before you shudder with disgust, Alan Winchester said that he liked his with a little ice sometimes too. And if it's good enough for the Master Distiller...
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I like to give new products a try and this product is no exception. I found the whiskey to be bland/ harsh and with no memorable qualities left on the palate. Smells decent on the nose, slightly floral and fruity. Its almost like Glenlivet wanted to make more distinction between the 12yr (which was good)and 15yr so they got rid of the 12yr and made an inferior product to highlight the rest of the brand. Look for other Whiskey in this price point and you'll find much much better options.
As a fan of their 12 yr this is a disappointment to me. The label of this scotch sounds better than it tastes. It smells decent and has clean and bland peppery taste on the tongue. There's now a notable difference in this and their more expensive bottles. IMHO I'll stick with Glenfiddich for the 12. (I thought the 12yr Glenlivet and 12yrGlenfiddich were comparable, the founder reserve is definitely a step down in attempts to make a cheaper bottle.
Harsh, salty disappointment
Decent enough entry level Glenlivet. A pleasant enough dram at a reasonable price.
Coastline and legs take time to run, barley oil and oil from the cask, legs run fairly thick and slow given 40%ABV. Caramel E140a seems added and is chill filtered imo. Nose - sweet orange, pears, background spices, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, stronger vanilla and caramel. Palate - sweet, strong orange, strong pears and pear drops, caramel and vanilla. Finish - again strong orange, sweet, orange and pear and pear drops linger long. Pear drops strengthen after a few minutes, vanilla and caramel with some background spices as above. Conclusion - a typical complex Speyside. Pleasant whisky for the reasonable price in supermarkets in the UK
