Blind Head to Head - Glenlivet 12 vs Glenlivet Founder's Reserve NAS

Or.... do you???

Well, well, well.... Another big whisky company has announced they are replacing a core expression of their product line with... a No Age Statement whisky. Now, mind you they have stated that the Glenlivet 12 (one of the most recognized & affordable whiskies) is not dead. That the Founder's Reserve will replace the 12 in 'mature' markets worldwide including the UK as of March 2015. Ughhhhhh.... I rolled my eyes after reading the headlines on 23 different twitter accounts, why... because I knew I would have to avoid social media and whisky forums for a few days as the trolls and preachers of NAS evil would jump on that news faster than green grass through a goose! I turned off the feeds, drank my whiskies... Tried not to care.

As fate would have it, I received a bottle of the Founder's Reserve as a surprise from a very lovely friend and the plan was immediately hatched: I posted the photo of my new bottle on our whisky society FB page and requested volunteers (especially if they were huge Glenlivet 12 fans) to come to my house for a whisky experiment. We would perform a blind H2H challenge of the 12 vs the Founder's Reserve. Within 10 minutes of posting I had 5 volunteers. (The power of social media or free whisky, or maybe both? hehe) I received a message on the day of the blind taste test that one participant had come down with the flu and wouldn't be coming (thankfully... love ya, but stay away!). He was supposed to bring a friend, well boo! Although I would have preferred a larger group, I was down to 3 people plus Graham and I...

On a random winter evening, I think it was a Monday, the five of us ranging from novice whisky drinker to hard core Glenlivet 12 fans sat down together in my living room. To keep things completely unbiased I enlisted the help of Graham (my partner) to pour 4 pairs in marked glassware (white blank tag vs unlabelled). After he poured and brought those out I went in the kitchen and poured his blind as well, not having any clue what sequence Graham had used. Then the table was set: Water, oat cakes, each a tagged and non-labelled glass with 1 oz whisky pours in them, pen and paper. 

Rules: No talking, nose/taste each of the two whiskies, write down whatever you think, if you had a preference and (optional) which you think is the Glenlivet 12. All nodded and we began. I watched for a few minutes as each person went through their own personal routine of noting color, nose, palate, etc. and making notes as they went. Not one of us did it the same way (remember that statement for later!) No discussions were had, well except the occasional grunt and I was impressed with how much time each person was spending with both samples as I didn't give any type of timeline or deadline. Thirty minutes later the final pen went down and we did a round table. Each person reading out their impressions of the tagged sample as well as the unlabelled one then stating which of the two they preferred. Nobody said out loud which they thought was the Glenlivet 12 except myself. 

Greg: No tag - Seems a bit darker in color than the tagged sample, smooth, just a hint of smoky peat on the palate. Tagged - A sweeter aftertaste, lighter in color, smoother. I prefer the tagged sample. 

John: No tag - Lighter in color - amber. Mild cider on the nose like a fruit wine, slightly oily on the palate with a lovely after taste. Tagged - Color is a medium amber. On the nose I find a dry white wine (a bit of oak) whereas the palate is smooth with a lovely after taste. The tagged is beautifully balanced for this style. I'd give it an 8/10. I prefer the tagged.
Steven: No tag - Not getting much on the nose, barely any aromas for me. The palate is somewhat harsh and it has a long finish. Tagged - I can detect more sweetness on the nose, caramel creaminess on the palate and a sweet finish. I prefer the tagged.

Graham: No tag - Grassy with a touch of wine gummies on the nose. Palate is much more mellow that tagged sample. Tagged - Much lighter on the nose, I get way more grassy and hay like notes. On the palate there was spirit burn and more grassiness. I prefer the untagged sample.

Johanne: No tag - Lighter on the nose than tagged sample, I get cereal and grassy. Once it's sat in the glass I do start to get a honeyed aroma. Not very viscous in nature. Thin on the palate with lots of harsh and citric notes. The finish is hot, quite bitter to me and it lingers... Not something I would drink, personally. Tagged - Much more rich on the nose, orchard fruit like pears or apple blossoms. After it sat in the glass much more of a ripe banana overtone. The palate was thin as well but I found it to contain Seville orange citrus vs just citric. No hot finish, no long finish. A more balanced whisky than the untagged. I preferred the tagged and thought the Untagged was the Glenlivet 12.
  
Greg, Steven, John and I had: 12 year old - Untagged and Founder's Reserve - Tagged, whereas Graham had the opposite. 

Greg and Steven said they would buy a bottle of the Founder's Reserve after the reveal. I don't recall what John said? Graham also stated he'd be more likely to buy the Founders Reserve over the Glenlivet 12 - Price/quality. In our discussion afterward, some were surprised and one was a bit let down that the Glenlivet 12 didn't come out on top. But all 5 of out 5 preferred the Founder's Reserve overall. What exactly does that tell us or you for that matter? 

Well other than the fact that five friends sat down on a random Monday night, nosed/tasted two blind samples and all liked one whisky over the other, not much really? Because the reality is 5 other people in the exact same experiment might have stated the complete opposite. 

Now... I was once told I had a whisky agenda. I was a bit perplexed by that comment at the time but with some thought I guess I do. My agenda, announced here for the first time is: Be open to every whisky experience that is presented to you.

1. For every person that will ridicule others for putting ice in their whiskies there are five more that will say it's your whisky - do as you please.
    
2. For every one 'Messiah' who will make you wait a full hour before you drink a whisky in his masterclass and tell you Scotch is dead while bourbon is the new king - ALL HAIL Pappy Van Winkle!!! There are ten more who will tell you drink what you like.
3. For every soap box hero that condemns the industry for NAS whiskies, there are just as many who will give the opinion that some of the NAS's on the market are great. And yes, I'm aware some are not just as much as I'm aware that some of the Age Statement Whiskies suck too! Bad whisky is bad whisky regardless. But my worst whisky could be your best so:  

Here is why I will ALWAYS urge you to make an opinion for yourself. Whisky like everything else in your life is subjective. Would you put your complete trust in a stranger who preached that new Hanes underwear should never be bought by everyone because they are now cheaply made, no longer have the 'Inspected by #12" sticker on the inside and they all fit funny? Seriously... then why trust someone else's judgment on the whiskies you drink?

Back to how each of us had our own way of performing this little experiment (told you that was coming) 

SUBJECTIVE: Relating to the way a person experiences things based on their feelings and opinions rather than facts. 

Objective: Based on facts rather than influence by personal feelings or opinions.

The five of us gave you a subjective opinion on two whiskies we tried. Objectively we can state we tried two forms of Glenlivet, both at 40% ABV. Subjectively we can tell you, all 5 of our personal opinions matched in this case. Objectively we can say that for the price range it was a good whisky to own, 4 (I don't recall if John said he would) would buy the Founder's Reserve over the 12 year old. 

I urge every single one of you to continually try whiskies for whatever reason you choose. Don't be swayed by one person's opinion may it be mine or anyone else's. My philosophy is quite simple: I want to try every whisky I can before I leave this earth knowing full well some will be stupendous, some horrible and some inevitably will be mediocre in nature. 

Now it's your turn. If you are set in your ways, so be it. If you absolutely refuse to try anything new, so be it. But for the rest of you, no matter where you are on your journey be brave, be bold and don't let the opinion of Simon, Jim, or the Johanne's of the world be yours, please. 

If I had listened to many of the self-professed experts this whisky world has to offer, I know I would have missed out on some real gems in my lifetime. Don't get me wrong because they are certainly entitled to their opinions. My point is: so are you and the only way to make that opinion is to TRY THE WHISKY. 

So what will I say about the Founder's Reserve: In a head to head with the Glenlivet 12, I preferred it immensely over the 12. My confession: I don't like the 12, although we do have a bottle of it in the house I don't ever recall pouring myself a dram. I have never used it in a led tasting nor do I recall ever recommending it. It's there for when visiting friends who like it, can have it. 

The Founder's Reserve has been purchased and I will likely recommend it to friends for what it is: Tasty, balanced and a great example of an extremely affordable whisky that (again in my opinion) is done right. Will I even mention it's NAS? Not unless they ask because for me, in the event you didn't already notice -> It doesn't matter...

When the annoucement first came out I noticed many people freaking out and speculating that the NAS would be super expensive! WRONG....

Pernod Ricard is not going to charge you an arm and a leg for this bottle. It's actually going to be a few dollars cheaper than what the 12 is currently going for. Yes, you read correctly. On average, in Canada the 12 sells for about $46 whereas the Founder's Reserve is $2-3 cheaper.  

In conclusion, thanks very much to my friend for bringing me this bottle. She knows me well enough to know that I would appreciate having something different and that I wouldn't judge a whisky before trying it. As for the rest of you: You like the 12 because it's one of your staples? Great! Get out there and buy more, however I do hope will consider trying the Founder's Reserve. 

Either way, don't be blind or get led by hand by anyone. Put down the book, the blog, the forum. Pour yourself a dram and try the whisky for yourself then decide if it's worth buying.

MOE, CURLY AND LARRY GETTING LOST IN THE NAS NOISE??!

LASSIE

Tomatin Legacy - BIG shoes to fill for a NAS whisky...

NO TOMATIN IN CANADA???!!

About three years ago when I was knee deep researching as much as I could about the lesser known distilleries of Scotland I stumbled across one that was called Tomatin.  I read up on it and realized that on my last trip to this lovely country I literally drove right by the distillery and didn't know it.  "No worries", I thought, I'll buy some here in Canada and try it out.  So I went online and looked at every liquor establishment website across Canada to discover: "we" didn't have Tomatin here!?  First world problems, I know.  How sad for me, right?! So began the quest to get my hands on the whisky from this distillery.  Graham asked me why I seemed to be so fixated on trying these whiskies and all I could really answer was that I had a gut instinct that I would really enjoy them. After a few failed attempts by friends to find it for me while they were away I was excited to hear that in November of 2011 a local whisky show was bringing it it.  It was going to be the table I would head to first!  About a week before the show our friend and organizer of the show, Frank Scott, sent me an email to tell me he was unable to get it in.  Talk about being convinced the Whisky Gods were out to torture me.  All of a sudden the TOMATINS were turning into my obsession.  I HAD to try them.  So, my quest continued and try as I may, I could not get my hands on any of their whiskies.  

Then like all things, if you simply let it go and stop chasing after it; it will come.  AND COME it did.  On a trip for my birthday to New Hampshire, in a little liquor store at the back of a very small strip mall, I heard Graham say: "Jo, come over here for a minute", so I casually strolled over to where he was standing and beaming.  I looked at the shelf, literally squealed and jumped up and down.  The lady shot us a quick and nervous glance.  I grabbed the bottle of Tomatin 12 and literally hugged it as though it was priceless cargo.  Then Graham said:  "Did you see the price?" I hadn't bothered to look because frankly I was so determined/elated to try this whisky I didn't care.  So I was truly expecting something completely outrageous that might deter me from buying it.  I sighed and looked over at the shelving unit holding the bottle just a little bit closer.  $24.99.   My eyes just about popped out of my head and I let out another loud delightful squeal.  Thought for sure we were going to get thrown out of the store, but apparently squealing must happen often in New Hampshire liquor stores?!?  Bottle bought immediately and I literally made Graham rush back to our condo so that we could open it, PDQ. We poured a fairly generous dram at 3:00pm on a Saturday afternoon and savored it.  It was everything I had hoped for and more. I can't explain why/how I knew this whisky was for me but my gut instinct was right.  There wasn't anything I didn't enjoy about that lovely dram.  Happier than a Catholic at St. Peter's Square I brought "MY" new bottle home to Canada.  I shared it with a few friends and it didn't take long before 1/2 the bottle was gone.  

Omne trium perfectum!

Then another wonderful thing happened. A few weeks later, I was advised by a friend who works in Fort McMurray, Alberta that he had seen Tomatin at a liquor store in Calgary.  Are you sure, I said pounding on the computer keys frantically.  "Yeah, pretty sure I saw the 12, 15, 18 and maybe even a 25".  "When are you coming home next?" I asked in CAPITAL LETTERS with plenty of exclamation marks. I held my breathe.  "Next week", came the reply.  So, of course, I was a very thankful and happy woman who received a bottle of the 15 and 18 year old Tomatin right before Christmas. So thankful for friends who are willing to put whisky bottles in their personal luggage for me.  Whisky fabric rocks, all the time!!!

Stephen B - Tomatin

I kid you not when I say the next day I found out that Stephen Bremner would be hosting the Master Class for Tomatin at the Victoria Whisky Festival which I was slated to attend in the new year!  I was over the moon.  "Mystery whisky, 12, 15, 18 and 30 year old.  Now most people will tell you that you should never wish your life away, but I was more excited about going to the Whisky Festival then I was about Christmas so my countdown was not to December 25th like most normal level headed people, no mine was to Victoria Whisky Festival - January 17th 2013 because my quest was going to be fulfilled.  Laugh at me if you will but when I latch on to something I don't let go until I have satisfied that "itch". I was not disappointed.  Stephen's class was one of the highlights of the whisky festival, as mentioned in my review:  

http://theperfectwhiskymatch.blogspot.ca/2013/01/review-of-victoria-whisky-festival-she.html

So here is where things take a bit of a serendipitous turn for me.  As part of the Master Class, we were given a sample of whisky that was not yet on the market.  I don't recall if Stephen told us we were "guinea pigs" or not, but I recall him stating they were interested in what we thought.  I nosed/tasted the sample and made my notes accordingly.  Some discussion took place in the class of about 25 and all in all, those that spoke up really seemed to enjoy the flavor profile.  I, included.  Legacy was my second favorite dram, after the 18.  After the class I told Graham what I had sampled and how much I really enjoyed the NAS (no age statement) very much.  Flash forward coming back east, surviving the rest of winter, writing blogs, doing tastings, etc..  and I'm sitting at my computer at work when I notice some discussion on twitter about the newest Tomatin Release.  It seemed there was quite a bit of excitement around it and many were getting the opportunity in the UK and Europe to try it.  

YES, IT'S PINK!

I stopped and thought about it for a moment and went digging into my bag pack for my trusty "note book".  I was elated, actually BEYOND elated!  I, Whiskylassie,  had a chance to try a whisky BEFORE the people of UK and Europe.  This had never happened, ever!  I could partake in the conversation,share what I thought and for once I felt like I had scooped a new release!  That might not mean much to some, but for me it was another great moment on my whisky adventure.  I thought for sure the lucky streak was over.  I was wrong.  About two weeks after they launched Legacy I was on Facebook checking a few things like I often do and came across a photo on the Tomatin page asking for a clever descriptor to be added and that a small token would be sent out to the most popular one.  Well, mine won and not long after I received a lovely package from Tomatin.  I was excited when I saw the SWAG and even more excited to find tucked away lovingly a small bottle containing a sample of Legacy.   Another happy dance and more squealing ensued.  (Women can get away with that, thank Goodness :)

So, in light of receiving a sample I revisited the lovely whisky.  The following notes are from both times I tasted it.  Jan/13 and Apr/13:

TOMATIN LEGACY, NAS, bottled at 43% ABV.  Matured in Virgin oak then Maker's Mark ex-bourbon casks.  Chill-filtered and colored.

Color:   Wheat, very light.  Not a very viscous whisky, legs are plentiful and run quite freely.

Nose:  Jan/13:  Elegant, light and quite aromatic in nature.  Tinned fruit salad (like Del Monte fruit cups), vanilla is faint in the background and detect a bit of woodiness.  A bit of water opens up and it reminds me of a very refreshing lemon sherbet.  Apr/13:  This is really pleasant on the nose.  So light and has a "green" quality on it this time around.  I'm getting the distinct smell of pine trees after it rains?  Vanilla lingers in background and has a richer quality then I remember.  I'm also getting golden sultanas this time around which I didn't note in January.

Palate:  Jan/13: Does not quite equal the strength of nose.  It's a bit weak in flavor comparably.  Nice custard or sweet lemon cake quality.  After adding a few drops of water:  granny smith apples in the background, tartness.   Apr/13:  Seems more balanced this time around,  still not as flavorful as the nose might hint to but vanilla pudding and more fruit (pears, or maybe pineapple - something crisp). Water added revealed barley type flavors.  Very pleasant. The longer it sat in my glass, the more flavorful it seem to become.

Finish:  Jan/13: White pepper, doesn't linger. Quite surprised at how short it is?  Apr/13:  Different recollection again, seems a bit spicy, but more like ginger.  Getting some of the oak this time, that I didn't notice the first time.  A bit "drying" in nature.  Very light and moderate finish this time around.


After having this for a second time around, I went into my whisky collection and pulled out a few more NAS type whiskies I have recently been drinking.  Dalmore, Jura, Auchentoshan, just to name a few...   and as I went back to look at some of my notes I noticed one thing that seemed to be a common thread:  I found the majority of the NAS's I was trying to be unbalanced.  The nose didn't even come close to equaling the palate and/or finish.  It wasn't a smooth transition and something ended up being "off" to the point where I wouldn't necessarily reach for that dram again anytime soon.  On both occasions that I imbibed the Tomatin that wasn't the case.  The nose is quite enjoyable, the palate albeit slightly weaker stands up nicely.  Possible because they chose to bottle it at 43%.  The finish surprised me the second time around.  I really enjoyed the discovery of a bit of "wood" on the finish.  Overall the whisky did a great job at pleasing my senses.  I did enjoy it better without water. 

Funny sometimes where the brain ends up.  Tomatin decided to call this whisky:  LEGACY.  I thought that was pretty bold, almost "ballsy" in nature.  For something to be called a Legacy, you would think it's been around.  It's got to have history behind it.  Ok, so just about every distillery in Scotland has history but why choose the name Legacy for something that is brand new, has no age statement attached to it and let's face it, Tomatin is not exactly one of the "BIG 5"...   I pondered this for weeks because I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.  Don't get me wrong, I read the release and why they say they chose to call it Legacy and it makes perfect sense.  The distillery built itself by creating a community where nothing existed. These people have been its backbone for over 100 years.  Think about that...   Established farmers and shepherds turned into whisky makers in less then two generations.  Five generations later, the descendants are still there in the community.  The whisky itself may not necessarily be "the legacy", but everything that went into in for the last century is.  People long gone = old photos on walls of the past.  The stories, the friendships and time moving on.  Did they ever think they were creating a Legacy?   Do you?  Or is it something most of us start to consider once we reach the golden times of our lives? 

I firmly believe in all the things that come to me, seem to do so just when they are suppose to.  I may not be patient enough sometimes to realize that.  When I look back to how Tomatin came in the most serendipitous way possible, it was like the opening of the flood gates.  I'm glad I tried the age statements first.  I have a wonderful appreciation for Tomatin's regular line up and I think I see now that I had to "wait" for it to come.  I have a sneaking suspicion had I tried it back in Scotland or in 2011 I may have chosen a different Master Class at Victoria and I would have never had the chance to try Legacy.  Thank you "Whisky Gods" and thank you Tomatin. 

Tomatin 12, 15, 18 and 25 are now readily available in Canada (Edgemont Fine Wines - Vancouver, Kensington Wine Market - Calgary as examples) from about $55 - $350 dollars.  I have heard that the Legacy will be released here in North America soon.  Retailing for about 26 British pounds right now in UK, I'll guess it will be about $40-45 Canadian.   (Fingers crossed)...   I for one, will be buying it.  It is truly one of the better No Age Statement whiskies I have tried in the last 6 months and I highly recommend you try it if you have the chance. 


Lassie continues her journey, I hope you will have fun following along.

I leave you to discover what your "Legacy" will be...


Lassie