During the past few months, members of The Glenlivet Guardians have been voting on three different flavor profiles to select a new limited edition from The Glenlivet, with its Exotic expression revealed today as the winner. The new Glenlivet, named “The Guardians’ Chapter” in recognition of the significant part the distillery’s fan club, won with 39% of the votes that were tallied from 37 countries across the globe.
The winning ‘Exotic’ single malt was created using a subtle mixture of casks including Hogsheads and American oak barrels with the addition of a proportion of whisky from Spanish ex-sherry butts to provide a rich, exotic twist. The resulting whisky is said to display the signature fruitiness of The Glenlivet with the addition of rich, warm spicy notes.
The campaign began in September 2013, with Master Distiller Alan Winchester revealing the three expressions he had hand-picked for fans to choose from. The three expressions, which were selected to spark debate over single malt style preferences, were named according to their taste profile, with the options being Classic, Exotic and Revival. Fans of the brand were invited to tasting events held across the globe where they sampled and voted for their favorites.
“The story of The Guardians’ Chapter doesn’t end here. This is an opportunity to savor a unique, limited edition, single malt that’s already been admired and desired by thousands of whisky lovers. Our Guardians have written a new chapter in the distillery’s distinguished history; this will be their legacy and I’m really pleased with the enthusiastic response we received and the selection the Guardians have made” said Master Distiller Alan Winchester.
The new non chill-filtered Glenlivet is being bottled at 48.7% proof and described as a rich, indulgent single malt. It’s available limited quantities and distributed around the world from March 2014, priced at $85/750ml.
