When Gordon & MacPhail announced the release of its Glenlivet 85 Years Old earlier this year, it instantly made headlines as the world’s oldest bottled single malt. But while the breathtaking bronze-and-glass vessel draws the eye, the whisky inside is what we were most interested in. Our Tasting NotesNose: The first impression is wood smoke, but not the overpowering oak you might expect from 85 years in cask. “As my grandfather always says, it’s the wood that makes the whisky,” Rankin said. At 85 years old, this whisky is less about a record and more about experience.