For those not familiar with The Glenlivet and their annual tricks, the brand is not afraid to have fun with its whiskies. Over the last few years we’ve seen the introduction of of each of its Alpha, Cipher, and Code expressions, which were released ‘blind’ – that is.
By blind we mean they were released without any cask information or tasting notes. This encouraged drinkers consumers to guess the taste notes and senses by tasting the product with Master Distiller Alan Winchester standing by to drop hints and help answer questions online.
This year is no different when The Glenlivet invited us to sample their newest expression, The Glenlivet Spectra. According to the brand, this new offering draws on this same sense of enigma, but is delivered in an even more intriguing way: The Spectra comes as a trio of 200ml bottles, presented in premium but yet playful packaging, with only the briefest of notes about what’s contained within each of them.
During our tasting session, The Glenlivet presented us with a game based on a simple but intuitive mobile website narrated by a how-to guide and introduction to each bottle. Our mission for the evening was to sample each bottle and based on pre-populated options on the website, select the notes that we think are present in the dram. At the end of your tasting, the website would calculate your results and give a score out of 100. Victory has never tasted this mysterious.
Each bottle in the trio reinterprets The Glenlivet’s signature smooth and fruity style, and gives you the chance to engage with their interactive tasting experience. If you’re enjoying the trop at home you scan the QR code on the box to access selected flavour profiles and put your palate to the test, comparing your tasting ability to that of the experts. We recommend you use headphones when accessing this site, or at least connect to a Bluetooth speaker for seamless fun.
What we thought of the trio
We’re not going to spoil things for you as we’d like you to experience the offering first before we share our tasting notes – which almost earned us bragging rights at the tasting experience.
We could taste that the trio was all Glenlivet, but they are very much their own drams. If we were to pick, we’d take a case of bottle 3 home with us. From somewhat zingy to smoky to rich and toffee-laden with a hint of pears, it’s a demonstration that with a few tweaks in the whisky-making process can lead to a very different end result.
Everyone will get something different from the trio, I urge you not to pay attention to your score (and I’m not only saying that because one of mine was only 60% – while Harmonix nailed them at an 89% average all the time) – it’s a fun way of pulling apart the flavours you can find in one of the world’s favourite whiskies. Try it with friends.
WIN your own The Glenlivet Spectra trio
WIN with TWFLD and The Glenlivet! One lucky TWFLD reader stands a chance to win The Glenlivet Spectra trio valued at R999. To enter, tell us who The Glenlivet’s Master Distiller is in the comments below.
- This competition is only open to residents of South Africa that are 18 years and older.
- Valid identity documentation (green bar coded ID or Smart ID card) will be required in order to claim your prize.
- This competition is valid 5 November 2020 – 12 November 2020.
- Terms and conditions apply
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