2025 ended with a bang for me. Each year I make some resolutions and review the progress on them on the night of the 31st. Then I tell myself, "this year wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at the starting" and the pessimist in me smiles a little at my own joke. I always live by the army phrase -
"Hope for the best but prepare for the worst". If that makes me a pessimist, so be it.
Going into 2026, my gratitude remains all the same, it might have even increased. Hope has been simmering and my own confidence in self is glimmering. 2025 was a year of facing the consequences of my actions. And what I learnt from it - I can live my life with my head held high, which is more than I can say for anyone else. Hard work never ends, and in my life the moment I stop working hard, I stop living. The pain makes me alive, the pain makes me special. Never shy away from pain. Embrace it, welcome it, fucking let it run through your veins !
Coming back to the Glenlivet 12 - My fourth favourite whiskey after Genfiddich 12, well, it's not as artisanal as the glenfiddich, nor is it as explosive as the black label, it is more like drinking a fine wine than scotch. If you like lighter notes and are a newbie to the scotch whiskey world, this is a good introductory single malt for you.
The glenlivet 12 sits on the fruity side of the taste profile in the world of the scotches. It's very sweet, very fruity and there is not even a hint of peat or smoke. So, for the first timers, who have been scared of whiskies, this should be your go-to drink. It costs around Rs. 6000 in Gurugram and around Rs 7000 in Delhi.
People graduating from cheap Vodkas or rums will find it worth the investment.
Tasting notes -
Nose - Sweet, fruity and very light pepper
Palate - Sweet, very sweet, then other flavours start coming up especially pears. Due to such light flavours alcohol also hits you but you tend to ignore that and dig deeper by the time you finish your first drink.
Mouthfeel - Watery. Diluting with water in 1:1 ratio does add a velvety touch to the drink but I liked it without any dilution
Finish - Sweet apples and peppery middle but not as peppery as the Indri Trini.
Overall, it remains light, fruity and quite enjoyable when you want to enjoy the company more than the drink. But does that make it a bad drink? Absolutely not. It can be enjoyed by everyone and almost on every occasion. That's the beauty of it. My friend already loves it because she doesn't like peaty notes. As far as I am concerned, this whiskey reminded me that scotches can be enjoyed even on a good weekday. I had 3 small drinks but it barely made any dent the next morning, it's that good !
But why is it then 4th on my list?
Because you can't enjoy it alone. Now, it's an oxymoron when I say that you can't enjoy this drink alone because drinking per se, is a social habit. What I mean when I say you can't enjoy it alone is that you never get past the sweetness to actually enjoy the body of the whiskey which is really a shame. I'd love it to drink it at my friend's house or during a house party but will I ever reach for it when I am alone, sitting with my thoughts and immersed in deep philosophy? Perhaps never. It's a great single malt, no doubt about it but I like my liquor more complexed. Sweetness can't match the complexity of the flavour profiles that bitters do. The bitter profile is an acquired taste. Even I would run away from the bitter profile 10 years ago. But slowly, through American coffee, 'the folgers' I slowly understood the myriad flavours that exist beyond the initial bitterness. Sweet flavour profile is always linear and mostly flat especially when you add sugar artificially. That's why your virgin mojito almost never tastes good in a cafe. I can't remember the last time I had sugar. I had given up sugar naturally a long, long time ago despite growing up on that dirty shit - nescafe, which has the audacity to call itself coffee! It's a flavouring agent like Bournvita for milk! And speaking of milk, I don't think I have ever put milk in Folgers. And I can guarantee you that my homemade Americano beats Starbucks coffee everyday of the week and twice on Sunday but only if you enjoy bitter flavour profile.
Bitter whiskies similarly, offer a crisp note to them. A lingering aftertaste that automatically cleanses your palate. But this whiskey, the glenlivet 12, which is intentionally sweet and fruity, lags behind in precisely that department - the complexity. It's unusually flat. I'd love to give it more tries in the coming days and if I ever change my opinions, I'll update on this blog but for now, it remains a good whiskey, not great. Will I buy one again? Oh absolutely. It's a must-have on your shelf. First timers will love it, those who are looking to let the conversation be the highlight of their evening will romanticise it and those who are pensive like myself will enjoy the break!
Coming to the party now. Well, my new year party, unlike everyone else, commenced yesterday on 1st January 2026. I am not a party animal by all means but I do like a little, warm, cozy gathering of the people I love. It's a nice thing about growing up - you know what you like and what you dislike and you become unapologetic about it. I am never the one to impose myself on others but over a period of time, I have come to be surrounded by few selected people who respect my boundaries and my wishes, as much I respect theirs. We respect restraint and appreciate each other's maturity. I had made a conscious decision to be away from all social media in 2021 and I can tell you with 100% conviction - that's the best decision I had ever made. My friend understands this and though she's forever on Instagram, she makes it a point never to invade my personal space by putting any of my photos online. It's very rare to find genuine, selfless respect from a person. People outgrow you and they stop respecting you, sometimes even degrade you, but to find a person who not only reciprocates but also goes over and beyond to shower respect, admiration and appreciation, which only grows as the time passes is truly rare. So for this person I finally opened my prized bottle of the Glenlivet 12 on the night of 1st January 2026! We drank, talked the entire night and had a few laughs before watching my favourite series on Apple TV these days. In hindsight, that wasn't the best of decisions because now she knows I have a HUGE HUGE CRUSH on Hannah Waddingham!
My god, that lady blows over me. I have actually never felt like that with anyone. My insides coil up, heart starts to race, pupils dilate and face starts to flush whenever I watch her. She must be 55 now but boy oh boy, how she stops my world whenever she enters into a scene. I never understood what crushes actually mean before I saw hannah waddingham. My friend saw all this and has never stopped yelling "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!" ever since!
I hope you too find the most amazing company and you be the best of yourself for others in 2026!
See you soon!
IHY
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