Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Tawny and clear. Very oily as streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 87/100 points
Strong start in the nose. Need to blow into the glass a bit. This helps to release the flavors. Plenty of dried fruits coming now with raisins as well as some citrus fruits. Nice old oak flavors. Not the very old once but also not the young green once. Now some fermented fruits show up. After a bit more smelling the flavors turn more sweet and I get some caramel and chocolate. A bit far in the background some floral notes appear.

Taste: 89/100 points
strong and a bit spicy start which is not a surprise at all. Then many dried fruits kick in. Also the citrus and fermented fruits coming through again, but the dried dark fruits fight them back and so those citrus and fermented notes staying behind the dried fruit flavors. After a while in the mouth it starts to become more sweet and some vanilla and caramel show up. I think I also get some honey. Also those nice oak flavors from the nose can be found here as well now wrapped in a thin layer of leather. Fruit sourness appear, but not too strong. Later it becomes a bit bitter but also quite oily.

Finish: 88/100 points
Strong intense very fruity finish. This time the fruits are covered in a honey dripping leather rags. Citrus and floral notes come through at the end. The finish stays very long.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations to 100%. It kicks you right into your face. So I added a few drops of water later on to look how it will develop.

With the added water the intensity getting less but the fruity flavors becoming even more strong and drives your saliva into your mouth. I definitely enjoyed this one in both ways: with and without water. So it is up to your taste if you like that strong kick, or prefer the rounder, slightly diluted version of it.

Overall I give this Whisky: 88/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Glenlivet	Cask/Batch#	Batch 1.1
Series	The Small Batch Collection	Vintage	n/a
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	21.02.2024
Bottler	Distillery Bottling	Age	17yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	n/a
Casks	American and Spanish Oak	Natural color	n/a
ABV	60.8%	Whiskybase ID:	253942

Remarks:
Nice dram with an aromatic flavor profile

Overall I rate this Whisky:

• Nose:
  Alcohol is very present at the beginning. Then come notes of sherry, raisin, dried fruit, oak, orange peel. A little vanilla in the background. Herbs.
  With a little water, more fruity notes emerge. The rest, including the alcohol present, does not change.
  
  
• Taste:
  strong sherry-like attack, spicy, raisins, dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, oak, some honey, spicy.
  With a little water the whisky becomes softer and rounder, also sweeter and a few nuts are added.
  
  
• Finish:
  Intense, sherry, oak, some nuts, red berries, spicy, light vanilla and caramel.
  With a little water, the finish is a little shorter. The aromas remain the same, but weaker than without water.
  

Review written on 2024-05-11