Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and ex-French Cuvée casks
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: William Grant & Sons
Average price: € 280.00
Official website: www.glenfiddich.com
Vote: 86/100
We conclude our excursus into Glenfiddich’s Grand Series with the middle bottling, of which there are several versions slightly different from each other: the one in question is the second, released in 2019.
The result of ageing mainly in ex-Bourbon casks with the addition of ex-Sherry casks, it spent the last six months of its twenty-three years of maturation in casks that contained still French wine from the champagne production area.
This confirms the search for different refinements from the usual, in the wake of the innovation brought by Malt Master Brian Kinsman.
Tasting notes
Full gold in the glass.
The nose is beautifully fresh and mineral, with lots of green apple and kaiser pear, lime, delicate vanilla, shortbread, marzipan. Caramelised popcorn. For a whisky of such a mature age, it comes across as very springy and sparkling.
The palate has a consistent hint of pepper, heralding a soft, silky body of malt, lemon cream, apple pulp, almonds, tea leaves, a hint of wild strawberry. Candied fruit and a touch of aniseed.
Not very long and dry finish of apple, malt, almonds.
The empirical demonstration of how a low alcohol content invalidates a whisky with enormous potential. Starting with the nose, which is truly excellent, everything goes downhill, with an elegant palate that doesn’t hold up in length, ending with a finish that is too ephemeral given the premise. This is a bit of a leitmotif of this series: enormous potential that remains unexpressed due to the choice of too low an alcohol content.
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