I’ve been attempting to find room in my whisky samples, and a while back realized some taller sample bottles I bought at duty-free had footprints that could be used for splits. Also the whisky is making its way throughout the apartment.
As such, it’s time to review Glenfiddichs, so the next six reviews will be Glenfiddich! I bet you’re as excited as I was, and totally not leaving these to collect dust.
I kid, I kid. As a whisky nerd I’ll complain about Macallan until the cows come home and then leave again because I’m still talking about Macallan. But Glenfiddich? I had two of their whiskies at my wedding! I look for them when I’m in a bar with a sad list of whiskies and Glenfiddich 12.
The Glenfiddich Cask Collection is part of the whiskey desert (no, that’s not a typo) that is the Travel Retail space: Yes, you can find alright whisky there, but if it’s only there, it’s there for a reason, and that reason is there was a mistake and the company needs to get rid of it.
Does that mean I’m prejudging these whiskies? Yes, yes it is. I’ll be blunt: Even if Glenfiddich or Grant and Sons hadn’t done that in the past (which they have), other distilleries have done this before. It’s so rough, when I was shopping for Irish Whiskey in Dublin Airport and they had single cask Midletons, I was paralyzed between 0 reviews and expecting it was sold there because it didn’t quite make the cut.
But maybe the Cask Collection will change that thought. I’ve seen enough changes in my whisky reviewing life. This could be what changes my mind. Laphroaig PX was another one before that.
So first up we have Glenfiddich Cask Collection Select Cask, a vatting of ex-Bourbon, ex-European oak, and ex-Red Wine cask whiskies. So that’s pretty cool. Never had an ex-Red wine cask Glenfiddich, certainly not one mixed like this. So maybe this is what I recommend moving forward?
Or maybe I continue to be jaded and broken. Who knows? Let’s see, shall we?
Price: €45 for 1L
Region: Speyside
Cask type: Bourbon, European Oak, & Red Wine Casks
Bottled for: The Travel Retail (whiskey desert)
Abv: 40%
Colour: 2.5Y 6/8
Nose: Mango, cereal, brown sugar, cardamon
Huh. Not what I was expecting. Floral/tropical fruit, some spice, and some brown sugar and cereal. It’s interesting, really. Granted it’s a bit light, but I don’t expect a similar reaction like the Miltonduff I reviewed a few weeks ago, given the 40%.
So maybe I am turning around.
Taste: Apple, nutmeg, floral, lemon juice
Or maybe this is a Glenfiddich profile, through and through. No joke, it’s a ton of apple flavour and floral notes. Sure, floral is new, and that’s great, but I didn’t know that any casks (other than ex-Bourbon) were used until after I finished this, and was flat out shocked it had anything other than ex-Bourbon.
Which brings up the question: I don’t mind Glenfiddich profile. Part of that profile is apple/pear notes. This continues that, albeit with tiny bits of floral, spice, and a bit more acidity. So am I okay with this?
Glenfiddich 12 has more to it. It’s more than mostly apple notes. That’s where I came out on it.
Finish: Cloves, lemon, oak, salt, apple
Okay, we start with salt and cloves and then go to strong apple notes. Then it’s back to the apple fair with the apple people and an apple parade.
Conclusion: Apple and floral, almost too much apple to make it Glenfiddich to a fault. It’s alright. Not as good as the 12, but still fine to have. Is it the change to travel retail I was hoping? No, not at all. But it’s cheap and it’s drinkable, and that’s a giant upgrade over some of the other whiskies in the store.
So there you go. Like Glenfiddich 12, need 1L of something, and don’t mind going down in quality? This is for you, simply that.
70/100
Scotch review #1551, Speyside review #439, Whisky Network review #2272
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