Life begins at 40. I was told that when I entered my fifth decade last summer and I’ll be honest, I feel like life has been definitively underway for quite some time.
A 40-year-old man is horribly commonplace, but a 40-year-old single malt is so rare as to be mythical. The number of things that have to go right for a whisky to emerge after 40 years and be not just drinkable, but actually worth the investment of storing and caring for it for all those years, is huge.
Enter Glenlivet. Or rather, enter the Whisky Shop on Piccadilly, where good fortune has landed me amongst a band of hand-plucked revellers who get to try The Glenlivet’s newly unleashed 40-year-old single malt.
Context is everything, so first of all we set the pace with their 21-year-old triple-cask, finished in sherry, cognac and port casks.. It’s classic Glenlivet, top to bottom: sweet, punchy, vanilla, dried fruits. Everything you know and love about The Glenlivet that makes relief wash over you in a flight when you realise it’s the Scotch they’re carrying.
We move on. I leave my tasting station because someone put a glass with ice in it on the baby grand piano and the idea of a water ring on that French polished wood is deeply upsetting. Moisture removed and glass-leaver duly admonished, I’m back for the second prelude: the 25-year-old. Despite being lower ABV, it’s somehow more intense, thanks to some serious time in sherry casks. Sherry monster meets pineapple chunks, in a Speyside speakeasy. Any other day this would be the best thing you put in your mouth, hands down.
But this isn’t any other day. In the third glass is something dark and decadent that almost nobody alive has imbibed. I’m ready. We’re two forty-year-olds and we’re ready to combine.
Let’s talk numbers. Aged 40 years, obviously; bottling strength is 46.9%. To actually combine the resting casks to make this a reality took about 5 years from conception to delivery. Two types of casks are at play – Pedro Ximinez and Oloroso sherry – resulting in a thus far unique combination at this age and strength. The Glenlivet’s cask master Kevin Balmforth does a wonderful job of selling it to us but honestly the pitch is unnecessary. We’re straining at the leash.
So how does it taste? Well, lifting it to meet our gaze, first of all we have to get past the absolutely gargantuan nose. It’s like a proboscis monkey. The aromas are almost dangerous. One innocent huff and seconds later caramel and sherry are permeating your nostrils and invading your eyes, brain and soul. It’s euphoric. I sit down. I have to.
But now it’s hit the tongue and the contrast is wild. It’s unbelievably light, transparent and airy in a way that I honestly don’t fully understand. It would be reckless, and dare I say financially ruinous, to drink it at pace. But there’s no doubt you could, because it’s so delicate.
In summary: this one is a bit special. The age expression is a great match for a milestone birthday or anniversary, and realistically you’ll be saving up your cash to invest in this one sparingly. But is it worth it? Without a shadow of a doubt. It’s absolutely monumental. Here’s to 40.
The Glenlivet 40 Year Old, bottled at cask strength annually, is available now from The Whisky Shop at RRP €5,500. For more information, visit www.theglenlivet.com or follow @theglenlivet.
