Watches And Whisky: Jaeger-LeCoultre And The Glenlivet
Exclusive Scotch: 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. This particular bottling was made exclusively for the Whisky Shop, named after the famed ‘Gallow Hill’, a hillside above the site where The Glenlivet distillery now sits.
Tasting Notes: On the nose: you’ll experience beautiful sweet floral notes, swiftly followed by suggestions of lavender and maraschino cherries. Notes of vanilla will start to emerge followed by cloves, fresh pears, apricots and marzipan. On the palate: those sweet apricot notes will hit you, along with the maraschino cherries. Those floral notes of lavender will start to filter through, followed by cloves, cinnamon and some peppery notes. To complete the all-round palate notes are some smokey oak notes. The finish: is medium to long, sweet, with lingering smoke.
The verdict: This exclusive 16-year-old Gallow Hill from The Glenlivet, is a superb drop. Well-balanced with lots of subtleties that are well married, offering you a beautiful warm yet fresh dram of Glenlivet goodness. Gallow Hill brings even more variety to an ever wide Glenlivet range. With the high ABV, I’d suggest that you add just a few drops of water to allow the Scotch to breathe and unlock the plethora of flavours available.
Info: ABV 51.8% in a 70cl bottle
Exclusive Elegance: The name Reverso is inspired by the Latin “I turn around”. The design of the Reverso dates back to the 1930s, or to be more precise 1931. Polo players were tired of having the crystals on their timepieces broken and damaged while playing this aristocratic game. At the request of British army officers, who still wanted to play “The Sport of Kings” whilst wearing their timepiece, Jaeger-LeCoultre came up with a design that would make it possible to flip the watch while on your wrist, thus protecting the crystal: the Reverso.
There have been a few of these models made from the acclaimed “Rouge” model and the delicious “Chocolat” model in this tribute collection. Though it has been said by Jaeger-LeCoultre themselves this is the most limited of the whole Ultra-Thin 1931 collection, with only 26 examples being produced.
In 2015 Jaeger-LeCoultre opened a new and more spacious Boutique on London’s Bond Street. To coincide with this opening, was the release of this Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin Special London Flagship edition, which features a deep British racing green lacquered dial. This limited edition Reverso makes use of the same Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin Tribute 1931 case, which measures just 7.2mm thick. The watch houses the calibre 822; an in-house movement that is endowed with a power reserve of 45-hours. A unique feature to this piece is hidden on the reverse of the dial. The second side of the watch has been painstakingly engraved with the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, completing the Reverso’ exclusivity.
