The Glenlivet – Fusion Cask Rum & Bourbon

This Speyside single malt from The Glenlivet was released to open the distillery's 200th-anniversary celebrations. Its cask experts and master coopers took apart first-fill rum barrels and first-fill bourbon barrels, then rebuilt the staves and heads into new fusion casks. A selected portion of the malt was finished in these hybrid casks, combining the tropical fruit of rum with the vanilla and caramel of American bourbon. The nose is sweet, with vanilla custard, caramel, orange zest and a little coconut. On the palate there are ripe apricot, golden peach and green apple, then toffee-covered bananas and a dusting of cinnamon. The finish is sweet and bright, with citrus oil, soft oak and a hint of rum sweetness.