Glenlivet 1978 DR

Here's a pretty flower. Obviously extracted vanilla, and a touch of the
citrus- orange and grapefruit- honey and very fine caster sugar. Really
floral, almost like some Borderies and Petite Champagne cognacs. In
fact, it almost draws out red fruit and berry nose. Rose petals, orange
blossom, honeysuckle. Screw it: strawberries and raspberries in cream. I
like nosing this a lot. Eventually, I got very subtle tropical fruit
such as mango and papaya. Pineapple for giggles. And apricot (from the
tropics. We can square this circle, right?) It's like somebody dumped in
a load of Borderies cognac into a whisky cask, and found out that it
turned out pretty swell.

Thick, and a little more oak forward on entry. Vanilla, orange blossom
honey mixed with heather and lavender honies. Crystallized fruit. You
see that there's the fruit and floral influence. After the midpalate, it
turns more on lemon rind. Lightly malty. Very trace hints of some of
the fruits from the nose.

The wood sticks out a bit here, too, but fades over time, turning more
on zest, vanilla, wax, honey, a few flower petals, and some
strawberries. It's a little nutty-oily on pralines, something for which
I'm always keen. The wood is just a smidge loud for me- not at all heavy
for a gem of this age, but it distracted me from what was otherwise
awesome stuff. And so it turns out just a hair shy of excellence.