The Glenlivet Portfolio

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Today, the Glenlivet portfolio has grown under the ownership of the international corporation Pernod Ricard to include six whiskies -- the basic 12-year-old expression, a 15-year-old French oak reserve, the Nadurra (Celtic for “natural”) 16-year-old, as well as 18- and 21-year-old expressions and, for just the past eight months, the XXV, a 25-year-old. The Glenlivet Cellar Collection also has seven releases, with the 1972 expression the latest on the market.

• 12-Year-Old

Much of the signature honey and floral flavors are immediately accesible, with a soft finish leaving a trace of vanilla on the palate.

Suggested retail price range: $42 and up.

• 15-Year-Old French Oak

My particular favorite among the Glenlivets. It spends 12 years in used American white oak barrels, then a portion of it is matured in French Limousin oak before being returned to the whole. It is the only Glenlivet that uses French oak. It presents citrus and cedar notes in the opening nose and everything from pepper to mango on the tongue, with a long, clean slightly spicy finish.

Suggested retail price range: $49 to $54.

• 18-Year-Old

This is aged in American white oak, with a small amount finished in used oloroso sherry casks to make use of the softer, more porous wood that helps intensify the notes of fruit, nuts and florals, with honey, banana and almonds the most pronounced flavors.

Suggested retail price: $80.

• 21-Year-Old

Some charred wood comes through from the used American oak casks, along with slightly more fruit and spiciness than in the 18. The color runs to deep amber, and the flavor profile to pears, spiced oranges and vanilla with a delicate yet lingering finish.

Suggested retail price: $100 to $112.

• Nadurra

This is a cask strength whisky (115.2 proof, or 56.1% alcohol by volume) best sampled as a 3-to-1 water-to-whisky mixture. It is non-chill filtered, which means it could get cloudy on the shelf. Nothing wrong with that. The flavor is light, yet crisp, quickly giving way to intense notes of honey and toffee. Long, lingering finish.

Suggested retail price: $60 to $65.

• XXV

This is 23 years in American white oak, two years in oloroso sherry casks, and worth the wait. A creamy orange and honey flavor, with definite elements of almonds and ginger in a complex structure.

Suggested retail price: $330 and up.

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The Diamond Standard Vodka

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It's not the first vodka to be filtered through diamonds (see my tasting notes on Baojing 168), but this Polish creation may be the classiest packaging to come along in years. Although the spirit is made in Poland, the company is owned by Diamond Beverages LLC of Lake Forest, IL.

• The Diamond Standard Vodka

When I first saw a bottle of this vodka, I was mesmerized by the clean, understated elegance of the packaging. A true work of art.

It's a tall, slim perfume-grade Saverglass bottle with a round-cut 25 mm Swarovski crystal imbedded near the neck, and raised glass droplets appearing to come from the crystal. Around the neck is a silver-metal medallion attesting to the authenticity of the Swarovski element.

It is truly a work of art, celebrating Poland's foremost crystal artisan. Curious, then, that the stopper is made of plastic and a compound "cork." On my bottle, the two separated when the glue gave way, which necessitated employing a pair of pliers to open the bottle. (Note: Notified of this, a company rep told me "The cap separation ... has been corrected. The new production will be the same clear top without the cork; it will be a screw-on top.")

Inside, however, was a testament to the overall craftsmanship of Polish vodkas, be they made from potatoes or from grains. In this case, it's the latter.

The small-batch vodka is crafted at the historic Polmos Siedlce distillery from Dankowski Diamond Rye, the most preferred of Polish grains. It is distilled four times and filtered four times through a proprietary process using thousands of De Beers diamonds.

Diamond Standard is quickly moving to the top of my list of best grain-based vodkas. It is an uncommonly smooth, warm spirit, lacking any hint of edginess. As always with ultra-premium vodkas, forget the definition of "odorless." This has ephemeral hints of citrus and grassiness and the barest hint of thyme.

Suggested retail price: $79 for the 750ml bottle.

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