Whisky Review: The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve

The last time I went to purchase a bottle of The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year old, the cashier in my Portland neighborhood liquor store proudly announced that my purchasing choice was “capital.” When I asked the clerk what he liked about Caribbean Cask 14 year old, he confessed unabashedly that he’d never tasted the stuff.rnrnIn order to redeem himself, he went on to say that Sam Elliott would occasionally saunter in to buy a few bottles. That really tickled me at the time because I’m a big Sam Elliott fan. I pictured “The Stranger” at home on his deck, with an expansive view out over Portland, Oregon, maneuvering his whisky glass between both sides of his handlebar mustache to savor the sweet, malty goodness.rnrnAs for the Glenlivet’s Caribbean Reserve, it’s not bad for the price. I like it a hair better than Glenlivet’s 12 year old offering. But that could change in time due to the fact that batches of the Caribbean could get even younger in the future (without an age statement). The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is a tad more malty in a vague way, whereas Caribbean Reserve is snappier and better defined, along with a slight rum note.rnrnEither way you pour ’em, they both are bargain Scotches. And either way, I will take my pour with ice, even though I’m not known for drinking whisky on the rocks. By the way, Caribbean Reserve would work fine in a wide assortment of cocktails, especially those which specify a Speyside whisky, and which happen to include other domineering sorts of ingredients. Yes, we are talking about pretty much anything lively to take the focus off a watered-down, entry-level Scotch…and that includes serving drinks in fun cocktail glasses, as well.