The Glenlivet seems to really invest resources in the (growing) Israeli market , so it seems. After opening the Popup concept shop in 2015 and making the ‘Pristinus’ single cask available in Israel as well, they have gone one step further as to bottle a single cask which will be Exclusive to Israel, which is a first, and a nice move on their behalf , if you ask me. Only 298 bottles came of of this barrel, at Cask strength of 59.7% NCF, aged 15 years, and named ‘Carn Ealasaid’ after a hill elevated 792 Meters located in south east side of the Livet Glen where the Glenlivet distillery is located and is also located near the road used for smuggling illicit liquid in the olden times when whisky was smuggled on horseback en route to Perth.
This release will be sold exclusively during special tasting sessions organized by The Glenlivet and held in The Whiskey Museum & Bat in Tel Aviv (a session will cost 75 NIS, in which the single cask as well as other Glenlivet releases will be samples), those interested could buy it afterwards for a not so modest price of 1,500 NIS (around 370 EUR, not cheap…) .
I was kindly invited to a trade event and tasting session where this expressions was first announced earlier this week in Tel Aviv, I guess most of you are quite curious about it (especially if you’re a local Israeli) so, tasting notes as usual will follow:
The Glenlivet ‘Carn Ealasaid’ Cask #16651, 15 yo, 59.7%, 1,500 ILS
Nose: A bit musty at first sniff, some dried fruit, nuts, coconut, vanilla, candy floss, and a hint of spice as well, It’s quite harsh at first and does benefit from quite a bit of water.
Palate: Spicy and a bit hot on entry, vanilla, wood tannins, toffee and chocolate. Nuts, again it’s quite biting and not very rounded, if you’re looking for this kind of whisky, it’s not quite your ordinary core range Livet. Water does tame it a bit, revealing more vanilla and a malty edge, yet it’s quite dry, and the Oak is not very strong.
Finish: A touch of earth. Spices and nutty fudge.
Conclusion:
This is a curious Glvenlivet if you ask me, It’s really a bit wild, biting, and out there, not what I was expecting really. I think I liked the previous single cask sold here (Pristinus) better, It was a bit more restrained. Single casks are always tricky, as each has its own personality , so to speak, You never know what you’re going to get. At 1,500 ILS this is quite expensive. Mostly a collector’s item if you ask me.