Glenfiddich Archives - Whisky a Day

Whisky #587: Glenfiddich Fire & Cane Single Malt

November 7, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Glenfiddich Fire & Cane Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $80 (bottle).

Colour: Brightly polished brass.

Nose: Fresh apricots, dried dates and a whiff of smoke. Campfire smoke, as distinct from peat.

Palate: A thin mouthfeel is the first thing you notice. Not a good sign. Toasted banana bread, black currant pastilles, passionfruit syrup and the juices from the bottom of of bowl of fruit salad. Nice flavours, just a shame you just have to work quite hard to get it all.

Finish: A slightly salty, cane flavour. Like sucking on a fresh saxophone reed. Salted caramel notes in the fade.

Comments: Fire & cane & disappointment. It’s billed as a “smokey whisky finished in sweet rum casks”, but fans of either style will likely be a little underwhelmed. It’s like the flavours have been dialled down too far through the dilution to 43% ABV. I can and do enjoy whiskies at 43%, however this one is a little too watery. You can’t help but wondering in the desire to appeal to a wider audience Glenfiddich have gone a little too far.

Whisky #413: Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15 Year Old Single Malt

June 24, 2016 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 51%. Tasted at home, $135 (bottle).

Colour: Dirty gold.

Nose: Fresh strawberries, sherbet coated soft serve ice-cream cones, soft vanilla and sweet oak.

Palate: Cool entry, closely followed by a warmth that fills the mouth. Oily mouthfeel. Creamy with a hint of sweet lemon tanginess. Full flavoured – think golden syrup rather than honey; lots of vanilla too.

Finish: A long gentle tingle all around the palate, roof of the mouth as the whisky gently finds its way to warm the chest. This is a winter warmer without being too intense. Honey on hot buttered toast flavours in the fade.

Comments: It’s a bloody cold night here in Sydney, so a whisky with more oomph was required. This one definitely ticks the boxes – bucketloads of flavour, a full mouthfeel and a satisfying warmth that convinces you that you’ve made the right choice to stay inside. Recommended for those without log fireplaces to curl up beside. Actually, recommended for those that do as well – this is good stuff! Keep drinking to ensure you remain warm at all times.

Whisky #351 – Glenfiddich Distillery Exclusive 1995 19 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (Cask No. 30318)

December 25, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich Distillery Exclusive 1995 19 Year Old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (Cask No. 30318). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 60.03%.

Colour: Deep, dark copper with a few flecks of charcoal sediment from the inside of the cask I drew the bottle from.

Nose: Much like its Balvenie stablemate, it has soft oak and some sweet, rich dried fruits.

Palate: Wow, the intense flavour and warmth hit your palate then decide to have a party all around your mouth. Salted caramel and rich syrupy sherry notes.

Finish: A salty tingle on the tip of the tongue, foowed by a long fade with some residual sweetness.

Comments: It’s like eating a salted caramel macaron. Soft, chewy, creamy – the flavours just keep coming. A sublime malt.

Whiskies #316-318: Glenfiddich Distillery Tour

December 9, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Tour of Glenfiddich Distillery, “The Pioneers Tour”. Speyside, Scotland. £75.

I went to Glenfiddich expecting due to their size for the tour to be a rather commercial, sheep-dip kind of experience. I chose to do their three-hour Pioneers Tour where I was pleasantly surprised to have one of the most personable, informative and enjoyable tours I’ve ever been on. Plus there was some fantastic whisky of course, including being able to taste & hand bottle some Sherry cask Glenfiddich straight from the cask. Reviews in that drop a little later, but for now let’s get stuck into some of the expressions I tasted on the day.

Whisky #316: Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Rich Oak Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Colour: Rose gold.

Nose: Banana & toffee.

Palate: Rich oily oak, mouth coating. Vanilla and creamy fruit flavours.

Finish: Banana bread; quite a gentle fade.

Be “still” my beating heart…

Whisky #317: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Colour: Rich, dark honey.

Nose: Wicker chairs and dusty bookshelves.

Palate: So smooth and subtle. Rich and velvety. Caramelised pineapple. Brown sugar.

Finish: Very gentle, gradual fade – medium to long finish though. Cinnamon and banana, syrupy.

Comments: Sublime, absolutely amazing.

Whisky a Day sampling some of the wash

Whisky #318: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Red Wine Cask Finish 19 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%.

Nose: Oaky, dry, fruity not tropical.

Palate: Quite thin, buttery caramel – reminds me of a Scottish tablet.

Finish: Creamy, medium length.

Comments: I wouldn’t have picked it for a red wine finish, sweeter and not as dry as I would have expected.

Glenfiddich Distillery

Whisky #218 – Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt

September 4, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Marquay restaurant, $12.

Colour: Dark gold. Not a bright spark.

Nose: Sweet honey, lemony scents.

Palate: More intense on the palate than I was expecting. Cinnamon, some subtle vanilla, but not a heap of sweetness.

Finish: Warm honey, sweet oak notes. Like many other mainstream single malts, I’ve resisted tasting whiskies like the Glenfiddich 12 as my strategy has been to try and choose some of the more unusual whiskies on offer at each bar and leave the more commonly available ones like the Glenfiddich 12 up my sleeve until the back end of the year when it may start to become challenging to find whiskies I’ve not tried yet. Having not tasted the Glenfiddich 12 for a long time, I was pleasantly surprised that it was as complex as it is – I guess I’d pigeon-holed it as being a common single malt so it must be quite simple. It’s a great malt; it’s certainly not got the depth or complexity of some whiskies I’ve tried this year, but it’s a great value, dependable and available almost everywhere.

Whisky #134 – Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva

June 30, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Bobeche, $35.

Colour: Dull brownish gold.

Nose: Brown sugar, toasted cereal kind of scents.

Palate: Vanilla & raspberry jam flavours, sweet yet some subtle bitterness as well. Plenty of toasted flavours too. Nice balance of heat and flavour. Almost a hint of some bourbon-like notes.

Finish: Warmth tingles at the front of the palate; flavours and heat gradually fade. The aftertaste reminds me of raspberry jam on a slice of toast.

Comments: Aged in ex-Cuban rum barrels, which certainly give the whisky its colour as well influencing flavours & the nose. I was expecting a slightly smoother entry given the age, but the flavour intensity is there which is good. Not sure that for $35 the Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva represents great value, but it’s certainly a decent drop.

Whisky #125 – Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt

June 26, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Lalla Rookh, $18.

Colour: Lustrous burnt amber.

Nose: A bit of oak, maybe some cherries.

Palate: Dried apricots, vanilla & oak. Smooth entry.

Finish: Medium length, not much heat.

Comments: Dangerously drinkable – this glass must have a leak. Smooth but not too complex, the Glenfiddich 15 is a solid whisky but not exceptional.

Whisky #94 – Glenfiddich Malt Scotch Whisky Liqueur

June 13, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich Malt Scotch Whisky Liqueur. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.

Tasted at home, $0, courtesy of my cousins Trudi & Marcus.

Colour: Golden viscous honey.

Nose: Surprisingly strong alcohol feints. Some oak and grain aromas.

Palate: Not as sickly sweet as I was expecting, though still some soft syrupy sensations. Amazing alliteration also. Cloves and cinnamon are probably the main flavours, though neither is really jumping out at you.

Finish: There’s definitely some sweetness I was expecting in the finish, along with a hint of cinnamon. Oily, creamy mouthfeel.

Comments: On a spectrum of whisky at one end and liqueur at the other, it definitely (and somewhat surprisingly) leans more towards the whisky side. Overall it’s ok, but it’s not as unique a drop as I was hoping for.

Whisky #93 – Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt

June 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at a Mad Men themed party, $0 courtesy of my friend Katy.

Colour: A deep rich gold.

Nose: Well…it’s here where things go a little awry. Shortly after my friend Katy poured me a dram of the Glenfiddich 18, I met a gorgeous young lady whose stunning looks and conversation completely distracted me from the important business of whisky tasting. Being a Mad Men themed party, we consumed many more whiskies through the evening and into the wee hours, but alas (well, at least for you dear reader) I was totally distracted and neglected to make many observations at all. Of the whisky.

I am looking forward to re-tasting the Glenfiddich 18, at which point I will endeavour to update these tasting notes with something a little more insightful than tales of other nocturnal endeavours…

Whiskies #67-69: Whisky Live 2014 Masterclass with Nathan DeTienne

April 5, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Whisky Live 2014 Masterclass with Nathan DeTienne, Rydges Hotel, $40.

I had the privilege of attending one of the Whisky Live 2014 masterclasses run by one of the most knowledgable and passionate whisky fiends that I have met, Nathan DeTienne. For about 90 minutes Nathan not only shared his impressively vast whisky knowledge, but he also shared some special whiskies from his personal collection.

I tried not to make extensive notes for these tastings, I just wanted to soak up the info and enjoy the whisky. Or is that soak up the whisky and enjoy the info? In any case, apologies for the tasting notes below not being extensive enough to do these three fine whiskies justice.

As a side note, Nathan also has a whisky blog (Squidgy Ash the Whisky Fiend) that is definitely worth a look…it could even be the second best whisky blog in Perth! Just kidding mate 😉 Check it out here: http://squidgyashwhiskyfiend.blogspot.com.au

Whisky #67: Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 47.60%.

Colour: Golden.

Nose: Caramel, toffee.

Palate: Silky smooth entry, gentle sweetness.

Finish: Very light, like a snowflake melting in your mouth. Ok, rubbish attempt at humour there. I just wanted to enjoy this one, not too much to say. Despite the lightness, the flavours linger for quite some time. But not long enough…oh wait that’s because I enjoyed it so much I drank it rather quickly.

Whisky #68: Kavalan Podium Single Malt. Taiwan. ABV: 46.0%.

Colour: Copper.

Nose: Medicinal notes, slightly leathery. But not in a bad way.

Palate: Spice & heat builds gently; oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Fades to a soft oaky finish.

Comments: I had very low expectations of Kavalan. I mean, who has even heard of whisky from Taiwan?! Earlier this year I bought (but have yet to try) a 3 x 50mL tasting pack of different Kavalan expressions in the expectation that they would be prime contenders for the “Truly Awful” whisky category. Well let me tell you, if the Kavalan Podium is anything to go by, the other three expressions will most definitely NOT be entries in the “Truly Awful” category this year.

Whisky #69: Scotch Malt Whisky Society G10.3, 24 Year Old Single Malt. Independent bottling from Strathclyde Distillery, Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 59.60%.

Colour: Dark straw.

Nose: Straw notes abound, plenty of wood too (and yes, I’m talking about the smell).

Palate: Bit of oak, creamy sweet flavours too.

Finish: Medium finish.

Comments: It’s my first ever taste of a SMWS bottling, seeing as I’ve just joined the Society I’m certain it won’t be the last! I believe it may also be the first Scottish grain whisky I’ve tasted. Certainly keen to try some more SMWS bottlings, this one was certainly intriguing and a drop that I firmly believe you need to have more than one dram to really get to know all its secrets.