Glenlivet 1967 33 Year Old '2000 Cellar Collection'

Bottled in 2000 to mark the millennium, this Glenlivet was distilled back in 1967 and given 33 years in wood before release as part of the distillery's Cellar Collection. It came out at 46%, a strength that suits a whisky of this age, and the range itself was built around old vintages pulled from the distillery's own stocks rather than the standard core line.

Glenlivet sits in Speyside, in the glen above Ballindalloch where George Smith took the first licence under the 1823 Excise Act and set the pattern the whole region would follow. A 1967 vintage catches the distillery in a confident stride, and the Cellar Collection was the house's way of showing off what long maturation does to that classic Speyside spirit.

The wood has had decades to work without ever taking over. On the nose, red apples coated in caramel, plenty of malt, vanilla, a nutty nougat sweetness, then lemon and a lift of coriander. The palate turns sweet and nutty, more apple, a little pepper and oak firming it up. It finishes herbal, with vanilla and a steady oak backbone. Balanced and mature rather than heavy, it rewards slow sipping and doesn't need water to show itself.

A special-occasion Speyside for someone who wants genuine age without the weight of sherry, poured after dinner and given room to unfold.

How to Serve

Neat, in a tulip or Glencairn. It carries its 46% comfortably, so taste it first before deciding whether a few drops of water suit you.

Where to Drink It

Boisdale, for an unhurried after-dinner dram in a room that takes whisky seriously. Dukes Bar in St James's, for quiet. Black Rock in Shoreditch, if you want to line it up against other old Speysiders.

Food Pairings

Try it with a plate of toasted pecans and a little dark honey, or a slice of apple tart to chime with that caramelised-apple note.