Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Beer
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: William Grant & Sons
Average price: € 50.00
Official website: www.glenfiddich.com
Vote: 83/100
The third of the four bottlings part of the Experimental series to arrive on these pages, at the time of its release in 2016 it represented a real novelty in the whisky scene: finishing the spirit in beer!
In a sort of return to the origins (I remind you that during one of its stages of production, whisky is very similar to a beer), Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, decided to play with one of the most classic Scottish malts through original and “daring” refinements, pouring whisky matured in ex-Bourbon casks for an unspecified time into casks that had contained Indian Pale Ale, specially created by the nearby Craft Brewery, for three months.
It wasn’t, in fact, the first experiment of its kind: Grant’s (part of the same group) had released Grant’s Ale Cask Edition a couple of years earlier, and in Germany (where else?) there had already been experiments with refining Scottish malts in beer around 2011.
It’s hard to really come up with something new in an industry as centuries-old as whisky, but credit due to Glenfiddich for not lacking the courage to play with a label considered iconic in the industry.
Tasting notes
Spices and fruit emerge on the nose, with a clear preponderance of the latter after a few minutes. Peach, melon, apple and navel orange with a light whiff of cinnamon and ginger, accompanied by honey, lemon drop, butter. Slight hint of yeast and wood in the background. Very classic and caressing, no trace of beer.
Malt and spices debut on the palate, which is predominantly in the yellow fruit profile with an increase in lemon notes (and a hint of pineapple), dried fruit, vanilla, tea leaves. Good creaminess, to which the herbaceous tones that emerge along the length, together with a saline touch, give a pleasant contrast.
The finish is not very long, with savoury touches of dried fruit, vanilla, wood and lemon.
There is no beer to speak of, in the glass is a good whisky, not particularly bright or charismatic, but one that is easy to drink. But if you have to refer to the label, for me the experiment has failed.
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 26yo Grande Couronne
Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
Other perspectives:
The Scotch Noob