The Glenfiddich Tasting - 21st June - 7pm

[mikeymad]

Glenfiddich 18yo (43%, Original Bottling, Ancient Reserve)

Nose: Now I am really getting a different nose on this one than the other set. Much more dense and rich, leather, and a sweet component, like refined sugar.

Palate: The spice, oranges, leather are all integrated.

Finish: Medium with the sweet notes poking through

Notes: This is an interesting beverage for me. It seems a little long in the tooth for its age. Good but not my top bev of the evening.

[mikeymad]

And a thanks to ganga for sticking around for my samples...

cheers,

[Ryguy]

Well done Ganga for keeping things going. Mikey, it was nice reading your notes.

Thanks to everyone for coming out yesterday evening, good notes all around, and as far as I'm concerned, I can't wait to explore Glenfiddich more.

I'll be starting with purchasing a bottle of the 18yo.

[TheTross]

*Sigh*. Another tasting I missed out on.

I wanted to taste and post notes yesterday, but I ended up working last night so couldn't drink during the day. I've also had a damn cold, so me nose and taste buds aren't working properly yet. And to compound matters I'm working every night now until Saturday this week, so any notes will have to wait until Saturday afternoon at the earliest - but I will post some!

Anyway, glad to see you all had a good time!

[Ian Millar]

I would like to know:

1. if he or someone from Glenfiddich has tried pairing any of their whiskies with food.

2. which is his favorite from their line.

3. any comments he has on some of the special bottlings released by Glenfiddich such as the 33 and 40 yo expressions.

Ganga
Just incase my post did not come thru on Sat, whiskies are easy enought to pair with food providing you keep the rich flavours balanced with the less rich and vice versa.

The 15 is by far my favourite, I`m Scottish so price and flavour are at the top of the agenda always.

We have just released the 5th vatting/bottling of the 40 year olds and as we always carry a large remnant over from previous vattings this product will have whiskies from the 1920`s, 30`s 40`s and 50`s.
The last vintage, 1973 was by far my favourite so far, ex sherry, probably a refill so not too much of a sherry influence, fantastic.

[Ian Millar]

I would like to know. I really like the bottle shape. Where did the triangular shape come from? Is it something that they always expect to keep?

Les
The bottle shape was designed by Hans Schleger who also designed the London Underground logo.
It ws designed in 1956 and brought into use in 1957 for Grants Standfast then in 1961 for Glenfiddich.
According to the last Chairman, Charles Gordon, it`s shaped that way to stop it rolling out from underneath the bed in front of your wife.

[Ian Millar]

I would like to ask - in the picture, which tartan is he wearing? Why do I ask? I reckon it's a Macfarlane tartan. My surname is Robb and we are affiliated to the Macfarlane clan. I have the 'green' Macfarlane tartan and I reckon he is wearing the same kilt. If we are members of the same clan that would be cool with me!
Slange!
Steve

Steve
The tartan is Macfarlane Hunting Modern, made by my wife, all Millers and Millars are affiaited to the Macfarlane clan, hence my choice.
I also have a Green Hunting which has quite a bit of Orange through it.
All the best,
Ian

[Ian Millar]

Unfortunately I can't be at the tasting, but I have a couple of questions:

will we ever have the chance to buy cask strength Solera Reserve - as it comes, straight from the vat?

when might we see regular bottlings of Kininvie?

Nick
Not sure if the post came through on sat night.
Kininvie was built to produce malt whisky for our own internal blends and as a reciprocal for other malts.
We hvae recently bottled 500 Hazelwoods, Kininvie Single Malt.
It`s called hazelwood after the name of the house that Wm Grants Grand-duaghter lives in as she formally opened the Distillery in 1990.
Her name is Janet Roberts, Mrs Roberts is now 107 years old and doing just fine.
There are no plans to bottle any more of the Kininvie.
Ian

[les taylor]

I would like to know. I really like the bottle shape. Where did the triangular shape come from? Is it something that they always expect to keep?

Les
The bottle shape was designed by Hans Schleger who also designed the London Underground logo.
It ws designed in 1956 and brought into use in 1957 for Grants Standfast then in 1961 for Glenfiddich.
According to the last Chairman, Charles Gordon, it`s shaped that way to stop it rolling out from underneath the bed in front of your
wife.

Thanks for the reply Ian. Love the story of the bottle under the bed.

[Matt2]

Thanks to everyone who took part, there are some interesting notes in there. And of course thanks to Ian / Glenfiddich for the taking part and the samples.

Finished the dregs last night, and its a fight between the 18 and 21, the 30 is very good but I'm going off wood at the moment. If you're looking for a good priced nice dram then certainly give the 18 a go.

The 21 seemed to go well with a Trinidad Reyes and coffee.

[Deactivated Member]

Unfortunately I can't be at the tasting, but I have a couple of questions:

will we ever have the chance to buy cask strength Solera Reserve - as it comes, straight from the vat?

when might we see regular bottlings of Kininvie?

Nick
Not sure if the post came through on sat night.
Kininvie was built to produce malt whisky for our own internal blends and as a reciprocal for other malts.
We hvae recently bottled 500 Hazelwoods, Kininvie Single Malt.
It`s called hazelwood after the name of the house that Wm Grants Grand-duaghter lives in as she formally opened the Distillery in 1990.
Her name is Janet Roberts, Mrs Roberts is now 107 years old and doing just fine.
There are no plans to bottle any more of the Kininvie.
Ian

Thanks Ian. It's remarkable that Kininvie hasn't been bottles in a regular form after all these years. I know there are other distilleries that don't do an OB release, but they pretty much all make malt available for the independent bottlers. Kininvie is the mystery malt (although I did get to try some on the Seven Stills Tour in May).

It's amazing to think that Mrs Robers actually remembers William Grant - providing a living link with the very foundation of the distillery. When I was young, I used to think that 100 years was an unimaginably long period of time. This example shows how easily 150 years and more can be spanned by just two lives.

[woodhill]

I'm late getting in on the act as usual.

But i've got builders in the house this week and most of my whisky is under wraps.

I have however kept out the samples from Matt (and 1 Ardbeg 10 a Laph QC and a Glenlivet 18 - to last me until next week) I will be doing the tasting myself with all your pages of notes starting with the 12 up to 30.

watch this space.

[Ryguy]

I'm late getting in on the act as usual.

But i've got builders in the house this week and most of my whisky is under wraps.

I have however kept out the samples from Matt (and 1 Ardbeg 10 a Laph QC and a Glenlivet 18 - to last me until next week) I will be doing the tasting myself with all your pages of notes starting with the 12 up to 30.

watch this space.

Sounds great Woodhill, looking foward to the notes!

[TheTross]

Well, better late than never I suppose...

Tulip nosing glass used throughout.

Glenfiddich 12yo (40%, OB)

Colour: Mid-gold

Nose: Quite light and sweet, mostly on caramel and honey. Also a little honeycomb and faint chocolate - reminds me of Cadbury's Crunchie bars at times! Slightly minty. Quite fruity too, with citrus and melon standing out but also slight banana notes. A faint soapiness? A little dusty and oaky. Some grassy notes as well, and possibly a few wisps of smoke in the background.

Palate: Thin and a little watery. Mainly fruity (citrus, some pear) and sweet again, with a little caramel present, but there's little else that I can pick up.

Finish: Pleasant - sweet and quite minty with a nice fruitiness, but it's much too short. Becomes faintly drying after a minute or so.


Glenfidich 15yo Solera Reserve (40%, OB)

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Fairly rich and sherried. Fragrant and lightly grassy. Marzipan, icing sugar, honey. Chocolate. Coffee and burnt/very dark treacle toffee. Slight notes of sulphur and earth. Smoke? The distillery's fruity profile comes through after a little while, though it's somewhat muted. Becomes lightly soapy and dusty with time.

Palate: Sweet but quite thin and watery. Creamy and a little malty. Faintly fruity. Vague chocolate notes. A little lime? (Clutching at straws here though). Quite fragrant and soapy. Oddly quiet.

Finish: Grassy at first, possibly with a little glue, but after a few seconds it becomes much sweeter and basically turns into an abridged version of the nose, including the soft sulphuric notes.


Glenfiddich 18yo Ancient Reserve (40%, OB)

Colour: Gold

Nose: Sweet, warm, malty and a little dusty. Honey, eucalyptus. Lots of fruit (pear, melon, other 'exotic' fruits). Toffee. Cocoa powder. Slightly buttery and spicy. Vaguely smoky and yeasty.

Palate: Malty again and a little spicy, with a sherried sweetness. Creamy. Some oak present. Fruity. Good balance.

Finish: Sweet, with a little mint. Honey. Some malt, grass and fruit. The grass and honey last a while.


Glenfiddich 21yo Caribbean Rum Cask (40%, OB)

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Sweet and fragrant, with the rum influence being obvious but not overpowering. Malt and grass. A little mint. Marzipan and something akin to Turkish Delight chocolate. All sorts of fruit, though mainly citrus.

Palate: Very sweet and fruity - the rum adds an extra layer of fruit to the already fruit-filled Glenfiddich character. Malty and very faintly yeasty. A hint of chocolate.

Finish: Sweet again, becoming slightly more bitter over time. Mint appears after a few seconds, as does gentle rum, cocoa powder and fruit. A faint lavender note appears some time later.


Glenfiddich 30yo (40%, OB)

Colour: Dark gold

Nose: Lots of fruit (largely citrus and plum) and oak. Honey and a sherry sweetness. A little wood and metal polish. White chocolate. Some mint. Soy sauce. Campino sweets. A little salty and spicy. Very slightly musty. Smoke.

Palate: Quite dry and oaky, but also very fruity. Honeyed again. Creamy. Those strawberry and cream Campino sweets appear again.

Finish: Long, sweet and creamy, with heaps of citrus fruit. Fragrant and lightly spiced. Becomes a little woody and drying after a short while. Light mint notes. Strawberry sherbet? Quite thin though. Faint hints of smoke and soap develop much later on, with jam (various fruit) also appearing.


Wardhead (58.4%, The Ultimate)

Colour: Straw

Nose: A little spirity, with a eucalyptus/menthol freshness. Grass, honey and malt. A little vanilla. A faint hint of earth and smoke? Some slightly bitter/overripe fruits sitting alongside the typical Glenfiddich citrus. A touch yeasty. Hints of white chocolate. With water, the citrus notes are increased and a little cocoa powder seems to appear.

Palate: Quite hot at full strength. Lots of honey and citrus fruit. Malt and eucalyptus. Water cools it down and helps to reveal vanilla and more citrus.

Finish: Warm, sweet and honeyed. A touch grassy, with citrus fruit appearing after a few seconds. Becomes grassier over time. Water cools it down, pronounces the citrus notes and creates something akin to vanilla ice cream, but also causes a very slight soapiness towards the end.


Of the standard Glenfiddichs, in terms of value the 18yo wins it hands down for me - it just offers so much more than the 12 and 15, although the 15 does have a beautiful nose. The 21 has decent complexity and is a good drink, albeit a bit too sweet for me, whilst the 30 has a stunning nose but seems to be a little thin on the palate and finish. Why did they bottle it at 40%? It would have been exceptional at cask strength!

The Wardhead is basically cask strength Glenfiddich - it's actually a vatting of 99% Glenfiddich, 1% Balvenie. It's very, very good and illustrates how Glenfiddich really benefits from a higher ABV.

Many thanks to Matt for the OB samples and to Ras Mazunga for the Wardhead sample!

[mikeymad]

Very Nice Tross. Great addition to the notes. I think that if anyone has questions about the 'fiddich line they can all be pointed to this thread. It has covered the standard releases better than most of our tasting threads.

good job (all)

Cheers,

[Ras Mazunga]

Great notes again Tross!

[Dram fine idea]

I've finally had a chance to go back and have another taste of the GF samples. Last time I just couldn't get the full flavour from the 21 and 30, so I put some aside. Tonight I enjoyed the 21 and thought there were some similarities with the Toasted Oak 12. The 21 was a good dram but IMO not as complex as the 18 or 30. Tonight the 30 was a revelation. I agree with Willie's comments about value for money. I would certainly have a bottle of the 30 but would happily settle for the 18 as a substitute. The 30 clinched it for me with a lovely mint/menthol note. Excellent depth. Lovely. Cheers, looking forward to the Aberlour tasting.