The bottle that comes closest to The Glenlivet 15 for less money is sitting one rung down in the same range. The Glenlivet 12 is $79, and to someone who drinks the 15 it does about 93% of what their own bottle does. Same distillery, same light Speyside character, a smaller bill. That is the whole story, so let's walk the rest of it.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 145.99 m 110.00 observed | 145.99 m 110.00 observed | 145.99 m 110.00 observed | 145.99 m 110.00 observed | 145.99 observed | 152.99 observed | 152.99 observed | 152.99 observed | 152.99 m 125.00 observed | 152.99 m 125.00 observed | 152.99 m 125.00 observed | 152.99 m 125.00 observed | 152.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 150.30 | 152.99 | 3.54 | 145.99 | 152.99 | 7.00 | 2.4% | 0.98 | 152.99 | 100 |
| member | 130.61 | 125.00 | 18.41 | 110.00 | 152.99 | 42.99 | 14.1% | 5.10 | 152.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 150.30 | 12.56 | -0.54 | -2.06 | 148.4 – 152.2 |
The Glenlivet 18: dried heathery flowers, tinned pineapple, windfall apples, then a turn to cedar and nutmeg. Tongue-clinging, custard tart, autumn fruit on the finish — curtains drawn, settling in for winter. $170 for members at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
I keep coming back to this: if you love The Glenlivet 18, The Glenlivet 15 at $153 gives you about 96% of what it does, for 90% of the price. Perfumed oak, apple and pear, soft white pepper. More in this week's piece.
Hand a The Glenlivet 15 drinker a bottle of The Glenlivet 18 and they'd pay 78% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down mostly for the extra years it carries over theirs. More on The Glenlivet 18, and where it sits, in this week's piece. Pour one and see.
Melon and apricot, a little apple pie. That's Glen Moray 18. For a The Glenlivet 18 drinker it gives about 87% of what the 18 does, at 96% of the price. $164 this week. More in this week's piece on The Glenlivet 18.
Smooth and easy to like: perfumed oak, apple and pear, a whisper of white pepper, with pineapple and honey sneaking in. The Glenlivet 15, $125 for members. That's about $5.66 a standard drink, a touch under a pint at the pub. More on it in this week's piece.
Like The Glenlivet 15? An Aberfeldy 12, poured of an evening, gives you about 95% of what the 15 does. Fresh tropical fruit, honey, a little orange marmalade on the finish, for 83% of its price, at $104. Give one a pour. More on The Glenlivet 15 in this week's piece.
Hand a The Glenlivet 18 drinker a glass of The Glenlivet 15 and they'd set it at $177, about 71% of what their own bottle runs, easing it back mainly for the younger age. Orchard fruit, soft spice, smooth. The rest sits in this week's piece on The Glenlivet 15.
These Speyside malts lean the same way, orchard fruit and a soft trace of spice. The Glenlivet 15 comes to about 22 standard drinks a bottle, so a pour at home settles around $5.66, while a standard drink of a pub pint sits near $6.28. More on it in this week's piece.
Love The Glenlivet 15? The Singleton of Dufftown 12 gives you about 94% of what it does for 55% of the price, and at $69 for members the price is what stands out. More in this week's piece.
The Glenlivet 18 keeps that familiar mix of fruit and flowers, now more concentrated: dried heather, tinned pineapple, windfall apples, cedar and nutmeg, liquorous and tongue-clinging over custard tart. Curtains drawn, winter settling in. $250, more in this week's piece.
Friday night, the 18 feels too good to open on a whim. The Glenlivet 15 steps in: perfumed oak, apple and pear, a little white pepper. For anyone on The Glenlivet 18, it gives about 95% of the 18 at 50% of the price, $125 for members. More in this week's piece.
Dried flowers, tinned pineapple, the curtains drawn for winter. Pour The Glenlivet 18 for a Glencadam 15 drinker and they'd pay 82% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down for being lighter in strength. More on The Glenlivet 18 in this week's piece.
Glencadam 15 stands in nicely for The Glenlivet 18, giving that drinker about 84% of what it pours for 56% of the price, at $140 for members; the delicate floral nose, cooking apples and white pepper make the case quietly, and this week's piece has the fuller account.
Flower, orchid, pineapple and mandarin: aka The Glenlivet 12, $76 at Dan Murphy's this week. For a The Glenlivet 15 drinker, that's about 93% of what the 15 gives, for 50% of its price.
Most of a Glenlivet 15 for 55% of the price? Say hello to the Singleton of Dufftown 12. For a Glenlivet 15 drinker it carries about 94% of what the Glenlivet 15 gives, and this week it asks only 55% of the price.
Old mate swirls his glass by the fire pit. "This one's soft as. Easy drinking, slips down without a fuss. What've I poured here?" The Singleton of Dufftown 12, mate. $69 for members at Dan's. Twelve years old, bottled at 40%.
One cold evening at a mate's place, he reaches into the cupboard and pours The Glenlivet 18 without asking. You settle in. It is the kind of whisky that makes you want to pull the curtains and let the week go.
If The Glenlivet 18 is your bottle, here is the question worth asking: what sits nearest to it for less money? The answer comes from the same distillery. The Glenlivet 15, $125 for members, gives a Glenlivet 18 drinker about 95% of what their own bottle does. Same house, half the outlay, nearly all the whisky.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 1L | $88.19 | $121.04 | -32.85 |
| 2 | The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $184.99 | $120.89 | +64.10 |
| 3 | The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $69.00 | $120.13 | -51.13 |
| 4 | Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $85.90 | $118.55 | -32.65 |
| 5 | Glen Moray 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $94.00 | $118.21 | -24.21 |
| 6 | The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $78.85 | $118.18 | -39.33 |
| 7 | Aultmore AULTMORE® 12YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $115.99 | $116.92 | -0.93 |
| 8 | GLEN GRANT 18 YEARS 700ML | $213.99 | $115.78 | +98.21 |
| 9 | Glen Moray 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $78.99 | $115.31 | -36.32 |
| 10 | Glen Moray 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $163.99 | $112.57 | +51.42 |