Glayva

Here’s one for anyone with a sweet tooth: Glayva whisky liqueur, which claims to be the best liqueur in the world – I’m not sure I’d go that far (in fact I am sure that I wouldn’t), but it is pretty good! In general liqueur terms I personally prefer the whisk(e)y cream variety, though that could very well be down to the fact that I’ve had far more of it.

The good people at Glayva were kind enough to send me a sample to review for you guys, so in order to ensure that I did it justice I decided to try it neat, as well as according to the 4 mixer suggestions on their website. The nose, when neat, offers up a warming concoction of zesty citrus – come to think of it, it’s quite similar to how your fingers smell after you’ve peeled a clementine (I know there’s tangerine in it, but it smells more like clementine to me) – along with cloves, herbs and honey. So far, so good! On the palate it is lusciously thick and creamy and the honey, herb and citrus notes are still very much present and dominant, along with a bit of aniseed and… something slightly tangy that I can’t quite put my finger on. A word of warning: it’s very moreish! I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s too sweet – but so far as I’m concerned, that’s the nature of a liqueur.

As for the mixer suggestions, I would rank them as follows:

1. Apple – BUT! – and this is important – don’t drink it cold! On their website, Glayva suggest 1 part liqueur to 3 parts apple juice and serve with ice, but I disagree. I used similar proportions, but rather than serve it ice cold I actually heated the apple juice up on the stove before pouring it into a cup and stirring in the Glayva, which made for a lovely drink which would be ideal on a cold winter day. I recommend shoving a cinnamon stick in with the juice would make it even better, but have yet to try.

2. Ginger ale – the fiery ginger offers a very nice bit of balance to the sweet citrus notes in the Glayva. In the summer this would be my top choice.

3. Cranberry – the logic here, I can only assume, is similar to that which led them to recommend mixing it with ginger ale. The sharpness of the cranberry juice does counter the sweetness of the liqueur quite well, but it’s not quite to my taste – which may be partly because I’m not a big fan of cranberry juice.

4. Lemonade – probably perfect for 18 year old girls as an alternative to VK, Archers and Smirnoff Ice, but far, far too sweet for my liking.

Priced in the region of $18-26 for a 16oz bottle, this and a couple of bottles of decent apple juice is perfect for cold Scottish winters. A good alternative to the classic highland coffee, which is preferred winter warmer, particularly if it’s late and you want to be able to sleep anytime soon!

Color: Warm golden honey.

Nose: Citrus zest, cloves, honey, herbs.

Palate: Honey, herbs, citrus, aniseed.

Want to buy this liqueur? Available in: UK & World (click)