I had this several times before I seriously got interested in whisky. So apparently it wasn’t good enough to really spark a fire – I had to wait until Lagavulin 16 and Suntory Hibiki for that to happen.

Glenfiddich 12 yo (40%, OB 2010)

Nose: fresh, with pears everywhere and a malty, cereal centre. Cooked apples. Freshly sawn wood. Some lime, hints of white grapes. Buttercups. Soft vanilla. Mouth: rather light and bittersweet. There’s a sugary side (honey, vanilla, apple juice) as well as a bitterish side (apple seeds, nutmeg, oak juice). A light sugar coated nuttiness and a faint spicy wave. All of this fairly muted and too mono-dimensional to be really interesting. Not much evolution either. Finish: not too long, on apple cider and a few spices.

You can say Glenfiddich 12 is uninspiring and a little flat but on the other hand it’s a widely available product without flaws. I would even say it’s slightly underrated if you think about the price: around € 25 or € 30 for one litre. Of course you could also hunt down one of the quality blends, like Bailie Nicol Jarvie, or a higher strength, entry-level bourbon like Buffalo Trace for the same price and get something more interesting.

Score: 76/100

Glenfiddich 18 yo ‘Ancient Reserve’ (43%, OB, late 1980’s, black decanter)

Nose: very rounded and gentle. Fruity, with big notes of blood oranges, kind of a malt version of Cointreau. Some banana too. The lightest hint of smoke. Whiffs of heather. Quite simple but very enjoyable. Mouth: malty sweetness, lightly sherried with hints of plums. Caramelized apples with cinnamon. Honey. Very light oak. Still those oranges mixed with vanilla. Finish: not too long but perfectly smooth.

A Glenfiddich that scores with an impressive smoothness rather than complexity. The smokey hints tell you it’s not a modern malt. My brother in law, who shared this dram with me, said “if all whiskies were as gentle and balanced as this Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve, more people would drink whisky”. Well said.

Modern 18yo versions (in the triangular bottle) are said to be a bit flatter and less impressive. If you find an old decanter, be sure to try it. There are several versions of the decanter by the way (green, blue, black), worth around € 130.

Score: 84/100

Glenfiddich Private Vintage 34 yo 1973 (46,6%, OB for LMdW 2007, hogshead #28563, 209 btl.)

Nose: starts fruity (big apricot aromas, oranges, grapefruit) and oaky (polished oak). Orchard fruits, some honey as well. A gentleman but really wide and complex. Soft spices (pepper, vanilla, subtle gingerbread) as well as some waxy notes. Very light nougat. Mouth: smooth and citrusy (grapefruit) with a herbal oakiness (soft tannins). Develops on dried fruits. Bittersweet with a minty edge. Bergamot tea. Finish: rather long, fruity with a bitter touch.

Starts great but the score is brought down by the slightly oaky palate. Around € 390 at the time, now sold out.

Score: 89/100

This aside, it should be an interesting bottle. The 1975 vintage was selected for the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Glenfiddich visitor centre. It was drawn from cask #22000, a European oak sherry butt.

Glenfiddich 33 yo 1975
(53,7%, OB 2009, cask #22000, 520 btl.)

Nose: fruity and vibrant. Dried apricot, tangerine and quite some orange skin. Nicely balanced oak. Subtle vanilla. Dates. A rather subtle sherry cask, with slightly sour Mandarine Napoleon / orange oil notes which really lift the nose. Fruit cake. Nice old leather as well. Lovely. Mouth: develops on orange marmalade but it grows spicier, with cinnamon, a hint of pepper and nutmeg. Shows a good balance between the oak tannins (which are certainly present) and the fruity sweetness. Light vanilla again. Hints of liquorice in the end. Finish: oaky and spicy with some dark chocolate. Medium length.

A very good Glenfiddich with an individual nose and a palate with quite some oak, but nicely integrated with the rest of the flavours. Great subtle sherry influence. Thanks for the sample swap, Anthony!

Score: 91/100

ps/ Whiskysite.nl usually has good prices by the way, but this was just crazy. I just came back from vacation and I’ve noticed that both websites seem to have sold out very recently.

Glenfiddich

The recently launched 2012 edition is presented in the new, bulkier Glenfiddich bottle and a larger box. It’s probably also a new batch of casks but for now we’re trying the old 2010/2011 edition.

Glenfiddich 21 yo
(40%, OB 2010, Caribbean rum finish)

Nose: a very pleasant nose packed with fruits: fresh oranges, pineapple candy… Typical banana aromas as well, but well integrated. Like tropical fruit chewing gum. Hints of vanilla and toffee. Nice, but 21 years old really? Mouth: quite soft, very smooth. It takes a while before the oak hits in and it regains some punch. Sweet barley. Plenty of spices (ginger, cinnamon, mint) – in the end it becomes rather oaky. Hints of leather. Finish: medium length, gentle with oranges and warming spices.

I enjoyed the nose, which benefits from the rum without overdoing it. On the palate it’s strangely soft (ditch the 40% for higher end bottlings, guys!) and oaky at the same time. Mixed bag. Around € 90. The 2012 version seems a little more expensive.

Score: 82/100

Glenfiddich 19 yo ‘Age of Discovery’ (40%, OB 2011, Madeira finish)

Nose: fresh and quite luscious. Starts with plenty of sparkling fruity notes: apricot, peach, juicy pear, gooseberries. After a while it moves to sweeter notes of vanilla, a little marzipan, honey and fruit pies. Subtle oak. Also a very soft earthy hint of moss or tobacco leafs. How nice! Mouth: smooth but very lightweight and slightly winey. Not overly sweet. Lots of oranges, with spicy hints of ginger, pepper and cinnamon. Balanced oak. Hints of toffee towards the end. Silenced by the lack of strength. Finish: still fairly dry and gingery. Marmalade, vanilla and nutty notes. Medium long.

It started with a lovely nose and plenty of freshness, but it’s lacking oomph to really stand out in the mouth. A complex Glenfiddich, probably one of the best finishes I’ve ever had. Too bad it’s so soft! Around € 100.

Score: 85/100