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.
1/What are we paying for in The Glenlivet 15? Price its age, strength, name and style the way the rest of the range at Dan Murphy's is priced, and we land near $118. This week it is $153, about 30% over the going rate for its features.
2/That $118 going rate is mostly age, which carries 65% of it, with being a single malt adding 12%, its strength another 9%, and a thread of sherry and dried fruit 7%. Those are the features the going rate can see, and the years account for most of it.
3/What the going rate can't see is tropical fruit, and that is where The Glenlivet 15 is strongest: a hint of pineapple sitting under the orchard apple, pear and soft white pepper. None of the features that set the going rate carries a price for it.
4/If you want to spend more, the Glenlivet 18 is $170 this week and gives a Glenlivet 15 drinker about 95% of what the 15 does, the pineapple turned tinned with a cedar note added. More is not always more, and both are a yes: one for the bench, one for the quiet winter pour.
| 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.
The Glenlivet 18 is one for when the curtains are drawn and winter's settling in. Dried heather flowers, tinned pineapple and windfall apples, a little cedar and nutmeg, custard tart clinging to the tongue. Pour it slow at $200. More on it in this week's piece.
Love The Glenlivet 18? I keep going back to The Glenlivet 15 at $125 for members: about 95% of what the 18 gives you, for 63% of its price. Perfumed oak, apple and pear. More on the 18 in this week's piece.
Hand The Glenlivet 18 to its nearest neighbours and, each starting from what they pay for their own bottle, their drinkers land anywhere from $83 to $296. The closest, a Glen Moray 21 drinker, would put up 86% of their own bottle's price. More in this week's piece.
Like The Glenlivet 18? Glencadam 15 gives you about 86% of what it does, for 70% of the price. Floral, with cooking apples, a little white pepper and honey. $140 for members. It's back now the aged stock is. More on The Glenlivet 18 in this week's piece.
The Glenlivet 15 keeps its voice down, all perfumed oak, apple and pear, a dusting of white pepper with pineapple and honey easing in behind, and it drinks smooth enough to sit with for an evening. $125 for members. More on it in this week's piece.
Love The Glenlivet 15? I keep coming back to The Singleton of Dufftown 12, which gives a Glenlivet 15 drinker about 95% of what that bottle does for 55% of its price, $69 for members. There's more on it in this week's piece. Which would you reach for tonight?
Hand an Aberfeldy 12 drinker The Glenlivet 15. Perfumed oak, orchard fruit. They'd pay 86% of what their own bottle costs. The reason? It's not from the Highlands. Would that put you off? More in this week's piece on The Glenlivet 15.
At $125, The Glenlivet 15 gives you about 22 standard drinks, so a pour at home works out at $5.66, next to $6.28 a standard drink for a pint at the pub. More on it in this week's piece. Where does that sit for you?
Like The Glenlivet 15? Aberfeldy 12 gives you about 94% of what it does, at 83% of the price, and sells for $104. Lively tropical fruit, honey and vanilla, with a touch of orange marmalade on the finish. More on The Glenlivet 15 in this week's piece.
Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 drinks like pudding: toffee, caramel, candied orange, a flash of ripe banana, all turned creamy by Cuban rum casks. At $331 it's one I keep returning to. More on it in this week's piece. Pour yourself a measure and see.
Like Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21? The Glenlivet 18 covers about 88% of it for its drinker: dried flowers, tinned pineapple, windfall apples, a note of custard tart, for 60% of the price at $200. More on Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 in this week's piece.
Hand a The Glenlivet 18 drinker Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 and they'd pay around 80% of their own bottle: near $161, set against the $200 they pay for theirs. The nearest neighbour's answer, plainly put. More on Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 in this week's piece.
Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 is $331, about 22 standard drinks, so $14.98 a pour at home. A pint at the pub works out near $6.28 a standard drink, so this sits above it. One for you if you like it creamy and sweet, all toffee and dried fruit. More in this week's piece.
I keep coming back to the Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21. Toffee and caramel on the nose, a creamy sweetness, dried fruit and a rum-cask finish. It's $331 at Dan Murphy's this week, about where it usually sells, and I've seen it from $273 to $331. More in this week's piece.
Fancy the Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21? I'd reach for the Glenfiddich 18 at $180. For a Gran Reserva 21 drinker it gives about 85% of what the 21 does, at 54% of the price. Oak, apple, warm cinnamon. More in this week's piece.
Like Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21? The Glenlivet 15 gives that drinker about 80% of what it does, for 38% of the price. $125 for members. Perfumed oak, apple and pear, a little white pepper. One for the curious. Pour one and see. More in this week's piece.
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.
| # | 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 |