Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Bourbon Casks with Rum Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 45-55 (February 2019)
Sample provided by: Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Buying Advice: 😐Nice Experiment. Suffers from low ABV. P/Q ratio: Okay
Colour:
Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
I never had a peated Glenfiddich before so I was curious! The Earthy Peat and Smoke from a Distant Fire are present but in a mellow kind of way. The rest is basically Malt and Fruit with a little Oak in the background. I don't think Fire and Cane was finished for a long time in Rum casks as its influence is limited. The Nose is not unpleasant but makes a Thin & slightly Watered-Down impression.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Peat and Smoke, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Green Apple, Pear, Grapes, Orange, Lemon, Oak-Char, Cinnamon and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Toffee, Pineapple-Flavoured Candies, Grapefruit, Banana, Floral Soap, Powdered Sugar, Pepper and Cloves.
Palate:
The idea of this Single malt is not bad. It's a quite pleasant combination of Peat, Smoke and Sweet Orchard Fruit. However, the Palate also suffers on account of the insufficient ABV. It's simply too Thin to really convince. There's potential here but it needs a face-lift.
Main Flavours:
Barley Sugar, Smoke/Peat, Salted Caramel, Grass, Powder Sugar, Green Apples, Pear, White Grapes, Orange, Oak Char, Cinnamon, Pepper and Mint.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Butterscotch, Toffee, Heather-Honey, Lemon, Floral Soap, Menthol Cigarettes, Ginger, Nutmeg and Cloves.
Finish:
On the Short side. The ABV does not sufficiently carry the Spirit. The Finish is Sweet with a light Bitterness towards the end. I find Barley Sugar, Sweet Peat, Smoke from a Distant Fire, light Soot and Ashes, Oak Char, Salted Caramel, Green Apple, Pear, White Grapes, Citrus, Grass, Floral Soap, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Menthol and Cocoa Powder.
Drinking Advice:
Fire & Cane does not improve with added Water although the Nose gets extra Fruit. Palate and Finish become too Thin though.
Rating: 85
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5
Drinking Experience:
Good but too Thin.
Conclusion:
Glenfiddich was founded in Dufftown in 1886 by William Grant. It's one of the few distilleries that is still in the hands of the founder's family. In the year 1963 it became the first whisky that was marketed worldwide as a Single Malt. It was the first Single Malt to appear in the Travel Retail/Duty Free shops as well and the chance is very big that Glenfiddich was your first Single Malt. It was mine anyhow. It is also the first distillery that opened a visitor centre, back in 1969. The current core range consists of the 12, 15, 18, 21, 26, 30 and 40 years old.
In 2016 the distillery launched The Experimental Series with the Project XX and The IPA Experiment. Winter Storm was the third released in 2017 followed last year by Fire & Cane. The Fire & Cane is a marriage between Peated (8ppm) and Unpeated Glenfiddich Spirit that was firstly matured in Ex-Bourbon casks before receiving a Finish in Latin-America Rum Casks. The name refers to the Peat (Fire) and the Rum (Cane).
First of all I would like to congratulate Glenfiddich on the Experiment Series. It is always commendable to try out new combinations. In the case of the Fire and Cane I find that the Fruity Glenfiddich Spirit is enhanced by the light Peat. I just think it needs more Fire (Higher ABV) and more Cane (A longer Rum-Finish). As it is, it's a bit too Thin and Weak to fully convince!
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende February 5, 2018
Maturation: Bourbon Casks with Rum Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 45-55 (February 2019)
Sample provided by: Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Buying Advice: 😐Nice Experiment. Suffers from low ABV. P/Q ratio: Okay
Colour:
Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
I never had a peated Glenfiddich before so I was curious! The Earthy Peat and Smoke from a Distant Fire are present but in a mellow kind of way. The rest is basically Malt and Fruit with a little Oak in the background. I don't think Fire and Cane was finished for a long time in Rum casks as its influence is limited. The Nose is not unpleasant but makes a Thin & slightly Watered-Down impression.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Peat and Smoke, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Green Apple, Pear, Grapes, Orange, Lemon, Oak-Char, Cinnamon and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Toffee, Pineapple-Flavoured Candies, Grapefruit, Banana, Floral Soap, Powdered Sugar, Pepper and Cloves.
The idea of this Single malt is not bad. It's a quite pleasant combination of Peat, Smoke and Sweet Orchard Fruit. However, the Palate also suffers on account of the insufficient ABV. It's simply too Thin to really convince. There's potential here but it needs a face-lift.
Main Flavours:
Barley Sugar, Smoke/Peat, Salted Caramel, Grass, Powder Sugar, Green Apples, Pear, White Grapes, Orange, Oak Char, Cinnamon, Pepper and Mint.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Butterscotch, Toffee, Heather-Honey, Lemon, Floral Soap, Menthol Cigarettes, Ginger, Nutmeg and Cloves.
On the Short side. The ABV does not sufficiently carry the Spirit. The Finish is Sweet with a light Bitterness towards the end. I find Barley Sugar, Sweet Peat, Smoke from a Distant Fire, light Soot and Ashes, Oak Char, Salted Caramel, Green Apple, Pear, White Grapes, Citrus, Grass, Floral Soap, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Menthol and Cocoa Powder.
Drinking Advice:
Fire & Cane does not improve with added Water although the Nose gets extra Fruit. Palate and Finish become too Thin though.
Rating: 85
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5
Drinking Experience:
Good but too Thin.
Conclusion:
Glenfiddich was founded in Dufftown in 1886 by William Grant. It's one of the few distilleries that is still in the hands of the founder's family. In the year 1963 it became the first whisky that was marketed worldwide as a Single Malt. It was the first Single Malt to appear in the Travel Retail/Duty Free shops as well and the chance is very big that Glenfiddich was your first Single Malt. It was mine anyhow. It is also the first distillery that opened a visitor centre, back in 1969. The current core range consists of the 12, 15, 18, 21, 26, 30 and 40 years old.
In 2016 the distillery launched The Experimental Series with the Project XX and The IPA Experiment. Winter Storm was the third released in 2017 followed last year by Fire & Cane. The Fire & Cane is a marriage between Peated (8ppm) and Unpeated Glenfiddich Spirit that was firstly matured in Ex-Bourbon casks before receiving a Finish in Latin-America Rum Casks. The name refers to the Peat (Fire) and the Rum (Cane).
First of all I would like to congratulate Glenfiddich on the Experiment Series. It is always commendable to try out new combinations. In the case of the Fire and Cane I find that the Fruity Glenfiddich Spirit is enhanced by the light Peat. I just think it needs more Fire (Higher ABV) and more Cane (A longer Rum-Finish). As it is, it's a bit too Thin and Weak to fully convince!
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende February 5, 2018
