Watches & Whisky: The Glenlivet + Tudor

Beautiful: Founded in 1824 by George Smith, The Glenlivet distillery, located near Ballindalloch in Moray, is the oldest legal distillery in this parish of Glenlivet. Succeeded by his son, John Gordon Smith in 1871, whose name alongside his father’s grace each bottle of The Glenlivet. The fame of Glenlivet was such that nearby distilleries used the name Glenlivet, simply because it was one of the longest glens (valleys) in Scotland. However, J.G Smith obtained the sole right to use the suffix “The”. The Glenlivet brand is the biggest selling single malt whisky in the U.S. and the second biggest worldwide and with that in mind they still find time to create some of the most exquisite exclusive Scotch Whisky around. The Glenlivet Cipher, is a, limited edition, non-age statement whisky that only reveals its name and nothing else, no cask finish info, no tasting notes and its matte black bottle doesn’t even reveal its colour. It is a smart move from The Glenlivet, to get the consumers to fully engage with the spirit and embrace the whisky and all of its flavours, without any preconception, leaving the consumer to form their own ideas of what they’re tasting.

On the nose: you’ll be welcomed by sweet notes of honeycomb, mixed berries, vanilla and a lovely waft of candy. This is closely followed by spices, cinnamon and caramelised apples. After a few swirls, notes of banana, dark chocolate and flavours of a nutty nature start to emerge. Rounding off the nose are intense woody notes, aniseed and a hint of lemon zest. On the palate: those initial sweet notes of honeycomb and mixed berries are ever-present, coupled with vanilla notes. Sweet candy notes start to filter through, alongside notes of raisins, pears, raspberries and toffee. More fruity notes of apricots and peaches start to appear, balanced out with cinnamon, nutmeg and peppery notes. The palate has a lovely oily, yet creamy texture, which is nicely rounded off by a whisper of peat. The finish: is medium to long, creamy and peppery, with lingering nuttiness and burnt oranges.

The verdict: The Glenlivet Cipher has achieved what it set out to accomplish, its mysterious packing truly does heighten your senses and immerses you in its nose and palate. A very well-balanced drop that is truly beautiful. It’s a whisky that doesn’t really need any water flourish but if you want to unlock the plethora of notes available, then only add a few drops. Just allowing it to breathe for around 10 minutes really did make a difference without adding any water.

Info: ABV 48% in a 70cl bottle

Bold: While the Pelagos is indeed a very new name for Tudor’s main diving wristwatch there is no mistaking it takes many of its design cues from the Tudor “Snowflake” Submariner. The titanium measures a modern 42mm but what it does incorporate are subtle hints of yesteryear. However, this newly released Pelagos LHD makes a bold statement. For the first time it has been made with a crown on the left, instead of the right, which is another nod to one issued to left-handed instructors within the Marine Nationale in 1981.

The Pelagos makes use of the same iconic snowflake hands used on the original Tudor Submariner. This Pelagos makes another bold statement by using a roulette date wheel and red writing for the ‘PELAGOS’ text on the dial. Again, another nod to diving watches of old. But one of the coolest details of this Tudor Pelagos LHD, is the way in which the flange is incorporated into the dial. Each hour marker, which has been given a hint of patina, is nicely enveloped by the flange, to which the minute track is also applied.

The Pelagos LHD, make use of the calibre MT5612, however, because it has been modified to accommodate its left-hand crown, the calibre named accordingly: the MT5612-LHD. It has a power reserve of 70 hours, meaning if you don’t wear it over the weekend, you can slap it on on a Monday morning and it will still be at the correct time and date. Tudor have been creating some exceedingly great timepieces of late but this is perhaps as bold as it gets.