This is the last of the Cask Collection, but not the last of the Glenfiddich reviews! We need more of them, for… reasons, probably? I don’t know, I do this to fill the time between being alive and then not that. Hope you enjoy me screaming into the void.
So I waited a tad too long on this one, as it seems that, based on the official Glenfiddich website (where I get all of my news, and shockingly only helps in this one case), it’s been D-Listed, or discontinued, or “deadass yeeted from the shops”, if you will.
What is it? It’s Glenfiddich Cask Collection Vintage Cask, the last portion of the Cask Collection. Why was it discontinued? I don’t know, I don’t work for Grants, and after what I’ve written I doubt I ever will.
What I do know is this is lightly peated Glenfiddich, versus the others which were very much not peated.
I gotta say it: Based solely on my tiny, miniscule view of the whisky industry from the internet, peat is king. It’s dumb, but it’s true. I can post 40+ year old whiskies and have a handful of views and maybe one comment. If I put up any original bottling that’s peated, immediate reactions. The whiplash from people turning their heads is deafening.
I can only imagine what it’s like when you can see data on it. Thus peated Glenfiddich. Which prior I only had when I reviewed Glenfiddich 12 Caoran Reserve. So barring a new Wardhead popping up or Fire & Cane, this is my chance to try it again.
So let’s see how Glenfiddich takes to peat, shall we?
Price: CHF 104
Region: Speyside
Cask type: European Oak & Ex-Bourbon Casks
Abv: 40%
Colour: 5Y 6/6
Nose: Ginger, grapefruit, white cake, almond
Note: I didn’t know this was peated prior to reviewing it. So an initial heat, some nuttiness, and a strong, vanilla/developed cereal note surprised me quite a bit.
Not too peated. Don’t expect an Octomore on this one.
Taste: Grapefruit, vanilla, raisin, caramel, apple Back to normal, though richer than before. Again, nothing is screaming “peat” and it’s closer to a richer, cooked butter flavour.
Good balance. Not a bad dram.
Finish: Ginger, apple, nutmeg, raisin
And the heat is back, this time more spice and continues on with the richness. It’s more a flavour that something is slightly different, versus an obvious “this is peated” thought.
Conclusion: Lightly peated fine daily dram. But probably was discontinued because people read peat and expect something different. Frankly it tasted like a lighter version of the Glenfiddich 18, which is silly because Glenfiddich 18 is good because of the age.
If you ended up with a bottle of this, you ended up with another daily dram. It’s not too peated, which is too bad, because you buy peated whisky to taste the peat, not to slightly enhance the rest. I’ve had Compass Box blends with less than 8% of peated whisky that were more obvious. So drink it only if you feel Glenfiddich 18 is too strong, or you’re looking for something a bit mindless.
74/100
Scotch review #1553, Speyside review #441, Whisky Network review #2274
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