The Glenlivet’s Excellent New Whisky Has an Unusual White-Wine Cask Finish - Dining and Cooking

The biggest names in single malt scotch whisky, both in terms of sales and recognition, are the usual suspects: the Macallan, Glenfiddich, and the Glenlivet. The last member of this trio, located in the heart of the Speyside region, just made a bold move by releasing an interesting and flavorful new whisky called Provence Edition, which involves a cask finish that is first for this 200-year-old distillery.

The core collection of the Glenlivet consists of a few age-statement expressions (12, 14, and 15-year-old), as well as some NAS whiskies. Then there’s the Beyond Speyside series that launched last year with Jamaica Edition, a whisky that was aged for 12 years and then finished in rum barrels sourced from that Caribbean island nation. This new entry in the series was also aged for 12 years, and then a portion of the whisky was finished in three types of French wine casks (a first for the distillery): Château Sainte Marguerite white wine, Rivesaltes, and Sauternes.

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“With the Provence Edition, we wanted to take the Glenlivet somewhere unexpected,” said Kevin Balmforth, master blend for the Glenlivet, in a statement. “By actively monitoring the finishing process and carefully balancing the influence of Château Sainte Marguerite, Rivesaltes, and Sauternes wine casks, we have created a whisky that delivers vibrant orchard fruit, elegant floral notes, and exceptional complexity.”

According to the brand, the Château Sainte Marguerite white-wine casks add bright citrus and elegant floral notes to the palate, the Rivesaltes casks (a sweet, fortified wine) are responsible for nuttiness and warming spice, and the Sauternes casks (a sweet white wine) contribute marmalade and crème brûlée flavors. Overall, white-wine casks are used much less frequently than red-wine casks to finish scotch whisky, mostly because there is a whole lot more aged red wine than white wine. There have been some notable examples in the past, however, from distilleries like Aberfeldy, Tamnavulin, and Tullibardine.

We were able to sample Provence Edition, and it’s a very tasty whisky that has clearly been heavily influenced by this secondary maturation, with notes of summer stone fruit and some tropical fruit playing against citrus, vanilla, baking spice, and caramel flavors. Like most Glenlivet whiskies, it’s bottled at 80 proof—and perhaps it would be a bit better a few degrees stronger, but that’s just speculation. A pop-up called Le Café du Whisky will hit cities around the country to coincide with the release of the new whisky, during which guests will “discover Provence Edition through the sights, sounds, flavors, and energy that define the region.” The Glenlivet 12 Provence Edition is a limited release (SRP $55), but you can find it at liquor stores around the nation now.

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