The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet was founded in 1824 by George Smith — the first distillery licensed under Scotland’s Excise Act of 1823 — in the Livet valley of Speyside. The world’s second best-selling single malt Scotch, producing a house style defined by approachability: light, fruit-forward, non-peated, and elegant. Range: Founder’s Reserve (NAS, first-fill American oak, sweet and creamy), 12 Year (American and European oak, green apple, citrus, vanilla — the benchmark), 15 Year French Oak Reserve (Limóusin oak finish, richer spice and dried fruit), 18 Year (extended aging, candied orange, warm spice), 21 Year Archive (dark fruit, chocolate, warm oak), and Nadurra (cask strength, no chill filtration — American Oak, Peated, and Oloroso Sherry editions).

Browse all Scotch whisky, custom engraving, and gifts at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was The Glenlivet’s 1824 founding historically significant for Scotch whisky?

The Excise Act of 1823 was passed by the British Parliament to address a fundamental problem: illicit distillation was so widespread in the Scottish Highlands that legal, taxed whisky production was effectively uncompetitive. The Act reduced the duty on legal spirits and simplified the licensing system to make legitimate distilling economically viable for the first time. George Smith of the Livet valley became the first distiller in the region to take out a license under the new Act in 1824 — a decision that made him deeply unpopular with the surrounding illegal distillers, who viewed licensed production as a threat to their livelihood. Smith reportedly carried pistols for personal protection during the early years of legal operation. The Glenlivet became so associated with quality legal Scotch that by the late 19th century, dozens of other distilleries were attaching “-Glenlivet” to their names to trade on the association. In 1884, George Smith’s successors successfully litigated to establish The Glenlivet as a protected designation — only the original distillery could use the name without a hyphenated prefix. This legal protection is why the distillery is known as “The Glenlivet” and not simply “Glenlivet.”

What is the Nadurra series and how does it differ from the core age-stated range?

Nadurra (the Scottish Gaelic word for “natural”) is The Glenlivet’s cask-strength, non-chill-filtered range — the opposite of what the core age-stated expressions prioritize. The 12 Year, 15 Year, and 18 Year are all proofed down to a consistent bottling strength (40% or 43% ABV) and chill-filtered for clarity and consistency. Chill filtration removes some of the fatty acids and proteins that cause whisky to turn cloudy when chilled, but also removes some of the aromatic complexity and mouthfeel that collectors value. The Nadurra series preserves everything: bottled at natural cask strength (which varies by edition, typically 48–60%+ ABV), without water addition, without chill filtration. The result is a fundamentally different experience from the same distillery — more intense, more complex, and more textured. The Nadurra Oloroso edition specifically shows what The Glenlivet’s spirit looks like when the Sherry cask influence is allowed to fully express at natural proof, which the 40% bottlings of the core range cannot replicate.