Glenfiddich 12 Caoran Reserve

It’s my wife’s birthday. Thus we went to a place that had food she liked. Somehow she’s only brought to places with great whisky selections. Thus we ended up at Via Allegro. Which has a massive amount of whisky. And by that I mean they’ve won the award for best whisky list by multiple places.

So enough about my wife’s Stockholm syndrome in our marriage.

I go to order. And I’ve been planning this one for awhile. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it’s time for me to review Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix.

Wait, why isn’t that bolded?

Oh fuck, it’s out.

So I’m a little sad, however the expert sommelier and whisky specialist tells me “I have another Glenfiddich that you’ll enjoy, I promise.” And I trust him, because there’s some people you should trust, and an award winning person in charge of a whisky choosing a whisky for you is that. Seriously. If I can’t trust him, then I’m no longer going to the hospital when I’m sick cause I can’t follow doctors.

So I was handed Glenfiddich 12 Caoran Reserve. And they had it, because that’s bolded.

So what is this? Well it’s the Peat Ember 12 year old Glenfiddich.

Yeah, peated Glenfiddich used to exist. And now it doesn’t. Because we all did something bad at some point. Or probably opportunity cost. But probably the first one.

The peat used was lightly peated, and produced the same way as other Glenfiddichs, aged in ex-bourbon. While it wasn’t lost in a pile of snow… it is interesting.

So let’s see how this tastes, shall we?

Price: No longer available

Region: Speyside

Abv: 40%

Colour: 7.5Y 9/6

Nose: Mineral, sea salt, nectarine, peppery/cilantro, caramel

Starts out with a lot of mineral. It’s not like a normal peated whisky. It’s more salt based. Which is insane. If you asked me about it, I’d say (based on the nose) that it took some time at the beach, not being smoked.

Some pepper comes out, however it takes some time. It’s not a weak nose, and it’s not super strong.

Taste: Pepper steak, spritiness/lemon, nectarine, thyme/mint

More pepper, and some meatiness. And yes, I wrote this before having my multiple meat pasta. There’s some oak/spirtiness to it that is quite evident.

Again, the peat is more pepper and mint. Which isn’t a bad thing. It reminds me of an older peated whisky.

Finish: Leeks, arugula, peat, cumin, smoked corn, mint, chocolate

Finish is where it’s at. Probably the longest finish I’ve had on an 40% whisky. It’s where the peat shines. It’s the most standard peat while still being quite vegetal and peppery.

Conclusion: Earth forward, unique, subtle dram. I get it. I’ve studied lots and lots of opportunity costs situation. And let me tell you… I think the teacher should have served this, alongside McDonalds Pizza.

Joking aside, I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Something about it worked, and I can’t tell you why. It’s more developed than it has any right to be. Quality went into this. And then was discontinued to see if the gods themselves could cry.

83/100

Scotch review #749, Speyside review #209, Whisky Network review #1234