Before discussing what The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is all about, it’s important to understand some background:
In the good old days of looking at a whisky brand’s portfolio, it used to be an easy affair to identify and speak about the brand’s “flagship” expression. This was the main expression; its biggest seller; the one that was a constant in all markets and carried the brand. Each of the other expressions in the portfolio were usually older, rarer, and less-often seen. If you can think back 15 years ago, it was an era where most brands had their ubiquitous 10yo or 12yo flagship expression, and then some brands had an 18yo or a 25yo to offer the connoisseurs some choice.
As the single malt market started to truly boom (and bloom) during 2000-2007, many brands’ portfolios started to widely diversify. Finishes or Extra Matured expressions became more prevalent; a wider and more populated range of age statements appeared; and in the last few years, many brands added one or more NAS expressions to the range. More recently, for some brands, the flagship expression you see may depend on what market you’re in.
Most of this activity is due to marketing and sales opportunities; and some of it is simply cask and stock management: Either dealing with what stocks are currently available, or taking steps to ensure that supply will meet demand in future years.
If you read enough whisky literature, opinions and noise, you’ll be aware that some brands are already having to make hard decisions to ensure supply keeps up with demand. Cutting various product lines or removing an expression from a particular market. Many whisky folks assume this is a new phenomenon, but no, it’s been happening for a while. For example, it was back in 2004/05 that Macallan discontinued its 15yo in order to keep stock back for its more lucrative (and popular) 18yo. More recently, we’re seeing an increasing number of NAS expressions being put forward and marketed, in an attempt to take pressure off the 10yo or 12yo aged statements. Enter Glenlivet.
Glenlivet is the second biggest selling single malt in the world, although it holds first place in some markets, particularly the USA. Not surprisingly, when you’re kicking that many goals, pressure and demand to meet an ever-growing and thirstier market means you’ve got to play your cards wisely and plan for the future. And so kudos to Glenlivet for being one of the few companies to come out and be brave enough to declare what’s going on. Whilst other distilleries have got the spin doctors out to invent a story, or to sell their whisky based on its colour or wood type, Glenlivet has been one of the few to be honest; to show their fans some respect; and to explain what they’re doing. And, if you haven’t caught on yet, here’s the story: In an effort to ease pressure on the Glenlivet 12yo, they’ve produced and brought out a No Age Statement whisky that will become the flagship expression in a number of selected markets. And Australia is one such market. The new expression? Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve.
According to IRi-Aztec (a leading data and marketing analyst to the liquor industry) the Glenlivet brand, in all its forms and expressions, holds the largest share of the Australian single malt market – 26%, to be precise. So, for one brand to represent over a quarter of all single malt purchases in this country, it would appear Australians are rather fond of the spirit that flows from the Livet valley!
The Founder’s Reserve had its official Australian launch earlier this month. It was a typically classy affair, held at an intimate and delightful private residence in Sydney’s Elizabeth Bay. For those that like a bit of ice with their dram, one of the first things you noticed on arrival was the large ice sculpture with the Glenlivet name proudly emblazoned on the face.
After an initial welcome by Sladjan Makismovic, Marketing Manager for Pernod Ricard in Australia, the floor was handed over to Ben Davidson (all-round Pernod Ricard legend, but for tonight’s purposes, the Glenlivet Brand Ambassador!), who gave the audience – roughly 50 assembled guests – a short history of Glenlivet. I’ve written extensively on Glenlivet previously, and won’t take up space repeating it here, (although you can check some of it out here) but it’s worth stating that I’ve long held Glenlivet 12yo as one of the benchmark examples of Speyside single malt. It’s light, citrusy, malty, grassy, and sweet. Textbook stuff.
(The other great example is Glenfiddich 12yo. If you’d like to check out how the two compare, you can read this amusing article here, where Glenlivet 12yo takes on Glenfiddich 12yo in the battle of the heavyweights!).
So, after a guided tasting by Ben, a toast was raised to the launch of Founder’s Reserve and the night’s celebration continued. Well done and congratulations to all involved in hosting a great evening – the food, ambience, whisky, hospitality, and harbour views all made for a memorable night.
But what about the whisky itself? The distillery advises that the vatting contains an increased proportion of first-fill American oak casks, thus contributing more vanilla to the flavour profile, and a certain creaminess to the mouthfeel. Sounds tempting! So, let’s spend some time with this dram. My tasting notes as follows:
Glenlivet Founders Reserve
Nose: Wonderfully fruity. Peaches, nectarines, and orange citrus all fly out of the glass. A sweet maltiness makes up the floor, but the higher estery notes are the shining lights here.
Palate: Not sure if I’m falling for the marketing guff here, but it is creamy. And there’s loads of vanilla. It’s got a good mouthfeel and there’s some textbook Speyside grassiness to balance the sweetness.
Finish: Vanilla slice. Very smooth and rounded.
Comments: Not the most complex or complicated whisky going around, but then it’s not intended to be. This is great, simple drinking (dare I say, quaffing), and it’s a wonderful, versatile dram that I can see working in any climate or environment. It’s light enough to work as an aperitif or to be a refreshing, summery dram, and yet it has enough body and weight to satisfy later in the evening or to see you through a cold winter’s night.
So that’s the Founder’s Reserve – get used to seeing it, as the 12yo will be withdrawn from Australia by December this year. The Founder’s Reserve has a recommended retail price of $64.99.
However, just to round this little piece out, I thought it would be interesting to compare the Founder’s Reserve directly against the very product it’s replacing. How does it compare to the Glenlivet 12yo? I’ve poured a fresh glass of each…let the comparison begin:
Colour: Through judicious use of E150, the two whiskies are virtually identical in colour. No discernible difference in colour whilst viewing the two drams in my average-lit living room.
Nose: The 12yo is bigger, brighter, and seemingly sweeter. They clearly share a common DNA, but the 12yo has a more discernible note of tinned fruits. Going back to the Founder’s Reserve, the vanilla plays a bigger bass note. Not surprisingly, when you then re-visit the 12yo, there’s a subtle but noticeably stronger hint of oak.
Palate: The 12yo has a seemingly lighter mouthfeel. That creaminess of the Founder’s Reserve really adds some body to the spirit and carries the FR a long way. The flavour elements of the 12yo are more delicate and subtle. But you’d have to say they’re more complex, too.
Finish: Not much to split them here, other than stating that, with the 12yo having a slightly more complex palate, this translates across to a more complex finish, too.
Comments: This is a really fun comparison. I’ve gone back to both drams many times over the last 15 minutes, continually sipping, sniffing, sipping, sniffing. Both are great whiskies, and the subtle differences between the two may be lost on some. Compared to most of my colleagues that I critically assess and score whiskies with, I tend to put greater emphasis on the importance of a whisky’s nose, and the 12yo definitely offers a more complex and vibrant nose. On that basis alone, I can confidently state that the 12yo is my favourite of the two. After careful consideration, the palate also backs this up, but that’s just me. More importantly, the take-home message is this: If Glenlivet is going to replace the 12yo with a new expression in Australia, I’m glad the Founder’s Reserve is a worthy offering.
All photos above supplied courtesy of Glenlivet. Except for the very obvious one that wasn’t!
Cheers,
AD
