The Glenlivet 12 year old Licensed Dram Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Overview

Bourbon Brothers Pick: the original Glenlivet recipe at 48%

The Licensed Dram is The Glenlivet's tribute to the whisky that started it all. In 1824, founder George Smith became the first person in the Parish of Glenlivet to take out a legal licence under the new Excise Act, a bold move in a glen then famous for its illicit stills. This 12-year-old is designed to echo that original liquid: matured in a combination of traditional oak casks and bottled at a more expressive 48% ABV without chill filtration.

Compared to the standard Glenlivet 12 at 40%, the Licensed Dram pushes the volume up on everything that makes Speyside whisky loved, including orchard fruit, honeyed barley, and a smooth, elegant cask influence, while keeping the signature soft, approachable character that built the brand.

The Distillery

The Glenlivet sits in the remote Livet valley in Speyside, tucked into the rolling hills of Banffshire. Founded in 1824 by George Smith, it is often credited as the single malt that defined the Speyside style, so influential that dozens of distilleries once tried to append "Glenlivet" to their own names, prompting Smith's son to fight and win the legal right to be called "The" Glenlivet.

Two centuries later, the distillery is still powered by the cold, pure Josie's Well spring water, lantern-shaped copper stills that give the spirit its famously clean, fruity character, and one of the most pedigreed maturation programs in Scotch. Owned by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard), The Glenlivet is consistently one of the top-selling single malts in the world, and the Licensed Dram is a knowing nod from the team to the 1824 original.

Why We Recommend It

We recommend The Glenlivet 12 Licensed Dram for customers who want:

• A richer, higher-proof version of the world's best-known Speyside 12 - the flavours they already love, turned up
• A non-chill filtered single malt that delivers more texture and mouthfeel than the standard expression
• A piece of Scotch whisky history - a direct tribute to the first licensed distillery in the Glenlivet valley
• An accessible, elegant Speyside profile: orchard fruit, honey, and gentle oak with none of the heavy peat smoke of an Islay

If you are a fan of the standard Glenlivet 12 and want to see what the same whisky feels like at full volume, this is the obvious upgrade. If you are new to single malts, it is also one of the softest, most welcoming entry points in Scotch.

Production & Craftsmanship

The two moves that matter here are the higher bottling strength and the decision to skip chill filtration. Together they deliver a noticeably fuller, oilier mouthfeel and a more assertive nose than the standard Glenlivet 12, while the minimum 12-year maturation keeps the signature Glenlivet balance of fruit, cereal, and soft oak fully intact.

Tasting Notes

What Makes This Whisky Special

How to Enjoy

Best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn or tulip glass to get the full orchard-fruit nose. A few drops of water will open the honey and soft oak without washing out the body, worth experimenting with given the 48% ABV. Works well over a large single ice cube on a warm evening, and makes an excellent base for a refined Rob Roy or a whisky highball where you want a malt with real character behind the mixer. First and foremost, though, this is a sipping whisky meant to be savoured slowly.

Product Details