Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 43.8%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and ex-Cognac
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: William Grant & Sons
Average price: € 640.00
Official website: www.glenfiddich.com
Vote: 86/100
And here is the culmination of Glenfiddich’s Grand Series, a whisky aged 26 years and presented in a very luxurious package, with gold filigree, which thanks to the rotating insert promises hours of great fun.
Twenty-four years spent in American and European casks before concluding its ageing with a further two years in ex-Cognac casks, an unusually long refinement in this type of cask, presented without chill filtration or the addition of colouring, and finally at an alcohol content, albeit slightly, higher than the minimum.
It’s hard to ignore the expectations that such a luxury and prohibitively expensive edition inevitably arouses, and thanks to the Italian distributor Velier I had the honour, along with a few others, of tasting a preview of this jewel of the Speyside distillery, thus trying to maintain a serene detachment (not having in my hands a bottle costing over half a thousand euros in fact aids in the process).
Tasting notes
Gold with amber veins in the glass.
Elegant and caressing on the nose, with polished wood and warm honey anticipating ripe yellow fruit (peach, melon, pear, plum), floral impressions (hyacinth and linden), shortcrust pastry, lemon cream and cane sugar. A persuasive note of wax and propolis creeps in among the aromas, with a slight acidic streak that refreshes the nose.
A light note of pepper and ginger begins on the palate, which is creamy with a hint of bitterness. More fruit, in which banana and prune also appear, liquorice root, a hint of dark chocolate, candied orange peel, lemon cream and a patina of salt that lingers on the lips.
The finish is quite long and warm, savoury, with yellow fruit, spices, honey and citrus.
A whisky with an elegance that is anything but austere, one that knows how to combine sweet and sour notes with great equilibrium, an enviable balance that arouses admiration even without great emotion, the result of great professionalism that, however, didn’t warm my heart.
Reviews of Glenfiddich whisky in the blog:
Glenfiddich 12yo
Glenfiddich 18yo
Glenfiddich 21yo Gran Reserva
Glenfiddich 21yo Winter Storm Batch 2
Glenfiddich 23yo Grand Cru
Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
Glenfiddich IPA Experiment