Glenlivet's 12 year old scotch is one of the best sellers in the world.  No wonder- it's very smooth, mildly complex, enjoyable and priced reasonably.

This past year came Glenlivet's French Oak casked scotches. There's a 21-year, which we've not yet sampled and goes for $100 a bottle, then there's the 12 year, which retails for $36.  The idea behind the French Oak finish is, perhaps, to capture some of the magic that one finds in cognac.  Cognac, as you likely know, is aged only in oak from the forests of Limousin and Troncais.  It's not clear how long this 12 year old spent in these French Oak casks, but the label says "finished" as opposed to "aged," so it's likely that it was less than 2 years, perhaps only 6 months.  The majority of the time, then, this scotch was aged in American oak casks, maybe ones once used to hold bourbon.

This deep gold scotch is rather dry, and is not at all vanilla tasting.  Whether it is the Limousin wood or what, this scotch does have a woody (as opposed to oaky- think Chardonnay) flavor, along with some mild floral notes and a spiciness that is reminiscent of those hot cinnamon fireballs I ate as a child.

While the French Oak did not impart the  complexity that I had imagined it would, this remains a good scotch, and a bottle that is well worth finishing.  (Rating ****)