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...
This first thing that hits you is the alcohol, just like a neat grain spirit. After that the tones, if there were any, are lost. It's a mixer and no better and there are a number of cheap blends out there that taste and satisfy fair better. If this were a blind taste this would have been at the cheap end of mass produced Whisky, sorry but true.
A good, tasty drop of malt, a sweet and strong taste that continues into the aftertaste.
Nous avons fait notre party de Noël dans la grande salle de conférence. Au menu des nombreuses boissons, 6 sortes différentes de Whisky recommandées dans un magazine spécialisé. Le Glenlivet Founder's Reserve a tellement été le préféré des 44 invités dégustateurs que les 10 bouteilles se sont vite débouchées et vidées. Bravo. Je ne sais pas si mon commentaire sera lu par Glenlivet, mais je peux quand même confirmer qu'au party de Noël 2016, ce ne sera que du Glenlivet Founder's Reserve comme Whisky. Je préfère garder secret le nom des autres sortes de Whisky qui étaient offertes aux invités. Bonne et Heureuse Année 2016 à tous. Roberto di Chatodo xx martelrobert@gmail.com
Very poor replacement for a wonderful 12 YO. Will struggle to find a malt that I enjoyed more. I for one am prepared to pay that little bit more, for what in my opinion is a far far superior malt.
Honestly, as others have stated, the 12yr is definitely the superior of the two. I'd also agree, I'm more likely to purchase a blended whisky before this one for the same price point. That said, it was a reasonably good whisky and if I saw it at the pub I'd likely order a glass.
