Grant's Triple Wood

“Mixed Emotions”

Whisky Review # 984

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Bottled and Produced By: William Grant & Sons Distillers Ltd., Dufftown

Brand: Grant's Triple Wood
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottling Serie: Stand Fast

Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Mix of American Oak, Virgin Oak and Bourbon Re-Fill Casks

Chill Filtration: Yes

Price Range: US$ 10-15 (March 2023)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍 It's quite cheap indeed
Buying Advice: 😐 Not good enough for sipping but okay on the Rocks or mixed

Colour: Golden with shades of Orange (Artificially Colored)

Nose:

The typical Sweet smell of relatively cheap Blended Whisky. It's driven by Grain Alcohol, Caramel and musty Re-Fill casks. It's on the Thin side, Young and slightly Hot. Cheap Slivovitz come to mind.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Grain Alcohol, Toast and Margarine, Caramel, Toffee, Straw, Musty Casks & Sawdust, Artificially-Flavored Candies (Green Apple, Cherry, Orange & Pineapple), Pepper, Menthol and Cinnamon.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts (Sultanas, Raisins, Walnuts), Cooked Vegetables, Compost, Insect Killer with Lemon Aroma, Nutmeg and Charred Oak.

Girvan Grain Distillery

Palate:

Young, Thin and a little Sharp. A mix of Sweet and Bitter notes with a pinch of Salt for good measure. This is Whisky for drinking and not for sipping.

Main Flavours:

Grain Alcohol, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Artificially-Flavored Candies (See Nose), Oak Char and Sawdust, Pepper, Menthol, Nutmeg and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Honey, Brown Sugar, Banana, Lemon, Dried Herbs, Sultanas, Slivovitz, White Chocolate, Earth, Tobacco and Cinnamon.

Kininvie Distillery

Finish:

Thin, Short and a little Hot. Sugary Sweet at first but with a light Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. I find Grain Alcohol, Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Sugar, Marshmallow, Honey, Artificially-flavored Candies (See Nose), Musty Casks and Char, Earth, Straw, Sultanas, Slivovitz, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Very faint hint of Horse Saddles. 

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this Blend. The best way to enjoy this Blend is on the Rocks or as a basis for a mixed drink, for instance with Coca Cola.

Rating: 5.5 (*****1/2)

Nose: 6 - Taste: 5.5 - Finish: 5

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note did not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. As a result I have decided to use a new rating system this year. I will still give a rating for Nose, Taste and Finish but now on the scale from 1-10 whereby 1 represents the worst and 10 the best. The sum of these numbers will be divided by 3 to get the rounded final score. I hope this new scoring makes it easier for you to understand what I thought about the whisky I'm reviewing.

If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink. Please let me know what you think of the new rating system and leave your comments and/or suggestions.

Drinking Experience Neat: Marginally Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay/Good, albeit a little Thin.

Conclusion:

This Triple Wood replaces the Family Reserve as Grant's main Blended Whisky. The Blend most likely contains Girvan Grain Whisky and Malt Whisky from Glenfiddich, Kininvie and perhaps a drop of Balvenie.

I have tasted lots of cheap Blends in the meantime and this is certainly not the worst one. But it's still Young, Thin, Hot and without convincing Aromas & Flavors. Therefore it's not good enough as a sipping whisky but it's not bad on the Rocks or in mixed drinks. I prefer this Grant's over JW Red.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        March 29, 2023

Glenfiddich Distillery

Wardhead 1997 (Carn Mor)

”Songs from the Wood” 

Whisky Review # 943

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Wardhead 1997 (Carn Mor - Celebration of the Cask Series)
Distilled on: 20-02-1997

Bottled By/For: Morrison & MacKay (MMcK) on 01/08/2018

Type: Single Cask Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - Cask # 43 - 354 Bottles

Age: 21 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 54.6% (Cask Strength)

Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 140-160 (April 2022)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay. A 21 Year old Single Malt is never cheap these days!
Buying Advice: 😔 Not bad at all but probably only for Woody Woodpeckers!

Colour: Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

A Mix of Sweet and slightly Sour notes. Quite Malty and Yeasty. The Oak is quite noticeable and so is the Alcohol. There's still sufficient Glenfiddich Fruit to be noted but this Spirit could have done with fewer years in the casks. Anywhere between 15 and 18 years would have been just fine. The Nose is not unpleasant but nothing out of the ordinary as well.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, German Butter Biscuits, Honey, Yeast, Green Apple, Pear, Mix of Nuts and Dried Fruit like Apricot, Gooseberry, Grapefruit, Slightly Dusty Casks, Cinnamon and Mint.    
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Toffee, Wax, Resin, Powder Sugar, Grass/Straw, Mandarin, Banana, Lemon, Strawberry Yogurt, Melon, Pineapple, Nougat, Floral Soap, Tobacco, Green Leaves,  Wet Rocks, Fresh and Dried Herbs, Ginger and Pepper.

Palate:

The Sweet and Sour notes of the Nose are still there but they are threatened by the Bitterness of Cask and Wood Spices. I miss balance here. Either Mr. Morrison or Mr. MacKay should have bottled it a few years earlier in my opinion 😉. The Alcohol is noticeable as well. Somehow I got images of an Apple Pie that was kept in a brand new wooden box for a couple of weeks!

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Syrup, Honey, Wax, Resin, Yeast, Dough, Pear, Green Apple, Mandarin, Banana, Gooseberry, Grapefruit, Bounty Bars, Capuccino, Earth, Dusty Charred Oak, Coconut, Pepper, Ginger and Mint. 

         
Supportive Flavour Accents:

Toffee, Vanilla, Grass and Straw, Melon, Lemon, Strawberry, Leather, Herbal Tea, Tobacco, Aniseed, Licorice and Cinnamon.

 

Finish:

Quite Long with lots of Bitter Oak and Menthol. Quite Dry towards the end. Oak and Wood Spices are really controlling the Sweet Malt and Sour Fruit at this point. This really should have been bottled earlier. Still, it's better than most of today's boring Malts. I find Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream, Toffee, Honey, Wax, Simple Syrup, Grass/Straw, Green Apple, Pear, Banana, Green Grapes, Gooseberry, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin, Toasted Almonds, Charred Oak, Wax, Cacao Powder, Herbal Tea, Floral Soap, lightly Burnt Marshmallow, Green Leaves, Leather, Tobacco, Cinnamon, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Aniseed, Mint and Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

You can certainly add a spoonful of Water to this Wardhead thereby diminishing the Bitterness somewhat and increasing the Fruitiness. It obviously loses some of the original raw character as well. I liked it both ways actually.

Rating: 86

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. Would be better with less cask time.

Conclusion:

William Grant & Sons are the owners of the Speyside distilleries Glenfiddich and The Balvenie. When they sell Casks with Glenfiddich Spirit to Independent Bottlers like Morrison & MacKay, they add a teaspoon of The Balvenie and label it as Wardhead. This way, the independent bottlers can't sell it as Glenfiddich and also not as Single Malt as the minimum amount of The Balvenie classifies the mix as a Blended Malt.

I fully enjoyed this Tasting session. Let me explain. On the one hand this Malt has certainly overstayed its time in the cask causing a Bitterness that will not please most Whisky lovers as it compromises the Fruitiness of the Glenfiddich Spirit. But on the other hand it shows Character, something I so dearly miss in todays Mainstream Malt Madness. If you like the standard Glenfiddich expressions you should not go for this one but if you're looking for some Raw Woody Adventure you should give this Wardhead a chance!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                           April 20, 2022

Glenfiddich Winter Storm Batch 1

”Riders on the Storm”

Whisky Review # 906

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich Winter Storm Batch 1 - Experimental Series # 03 - Bottled: 2017

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - 8000 Bottles
Age: 21 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Probably Ex-Bourbon with ca. 6 months Canadian Icewine Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 400-700 (March 2021). Huge price differences! Be aware!
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 This is way-overpriced even considering its 21 Years.
Buying Advice: 😒 It's just way too expensive for what it offers.

Colour:

Golden Amber (Artificially Colored)

Nose:

Light and Sweet. After 21 Years in the various casks, this Whisky deserves an ABV of around 46%. I find this to be a recurrent problem of Glenfiddich's older and more expensive Single Malts. They really should take a good look at this. Other than that the Nose shows a slightly boring but well-balanced mix of Fruit, Caramel, Wine & Spices. Surprisingly, the Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Main Aromas:

Barley Sugar, German Butter Biscuits, Apple, Pear-Drops, Artificially-Flavoured Fruit-Candies, Grass and Straw, Cinnamon-Spiced Tea, Pepper and Dried Herbs.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Honey, Vanilla, Fresh Meadow Flowers, White Wine, Nectarine, Gooseberry, Lemon, Wax, Studentenhaver (Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts) and Arabian Sweets.

Palate:

A mix of Sugary-Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. The Icewine finish is certainly more noticeable here than on the Nose.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Sugar, Toffee, Caramel, Apples, Artificially Flavoured Fruit Candies (Pear, Melon, Nectarine), Grass & Straw, Seville-Orange, Grapefruit, Oak, Menthol,  Pepper, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Wax, Vanilla, Marzipan, White Wine, Lemon, Milk-Chocolate, Herbal Tea and cheap Spanish Brandy. I can still remember drinking the latter back in 1972 in Calafell on Spain's Costa Dorada.

 

Finish:

Short to Middle-Long and Thin. Almost Sugary Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness and Sourness towards the Medium Dry end. The Alcohol is noticeable and so is the Wine Finish. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla Fudge, White Wine, Oak, Seville-Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Apple, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Milk-Chocolate, Menthol & hints of Salt, cheap Spanish Brandy & Cardboard boxes. The Menthol & Mint seem to almost explode in your throat. It's certainly different but I can't say I like it a lot. 

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water. It's Thin enough as it comes.

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat:

Okay/Good. It's not bad but I won't enter the fanclub!

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 and Duty Free shops as well and the chance is huge that Glenfiddich was your first Single Malt. It was mine! 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. We visited the distillery in May 2014 and May 2019. Despite the large number of visitors they still do a good job on the Tours.

The Winter Storm was first released in October 2017. Glenfiddich's Malt Master Brian Kinsman got the inspiration when he visited the Icewine producing Peller Estates Winery near Niagara in Canada. The grapes for this wine are picked during the Canadian Winter in January. The grapes need to be very hard and are harvested at moonlight at minus 10 degrees C. Working together with Mr. Craig McDonald, Peller's VP of Winemaking, Brian experimented with several French Oak Icewine casks, filling them with Glenfiddich aged Malts of different ages for upto 6 months. It appeared that only the older whiskies (21 Years) could cope with the very sweet Icewine intensity.

I always applaud experiments so I congratulate Mr. Kinsman on trying to find a new road. I must confess however that this specific road doesn't seem to go anywhere. The Nose is okay but Palate and Finish are merely regular. I think that expensive projects like this deserve Better Cask Management and a higher ABV. The way it is presented it doesn't deserve the high prices at which Winter Storm is offered. The industry should sell excellent whisky at these prices and not stories and hypes. That way they avoid them being seen as Riders on the Storm!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                         March 17, 2021

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

Glenfiddich Vintage Cask Collection Peated

”Wasted Time”

Whisky Review # 898

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich Vintage Cask Collection - Peated Single Malt

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: European Sherry Wood & Bourbon casks married in Solera Vat # 3
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 100-130 (December 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎Too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 😐 The Peat is nice but it's way too Thin on the Palate.

Colour:

Amber with shades of Orange (Artificially Colored)

Nose:

Nice balance between Peat, Sherry Wood and Bourbon casks. It's a bit on the Thin side caused of course by the low ABV. The good thing is that the Alcohol is hardly noticeable on the Nose. Main Drivers are Smoke, (Dried) Fruit and Earthy notes. All in all quite pleasant.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Pear, Apple, Straw and Grass, Orange Marmalade, Dairy and Cinnamon.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Honey, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Forest Floor, Dried Herbs, Fruit Cake, Yeast, Leather, Pork on the BBQ, Milk Chocolate, Dried Apricot and Pepper.

Palate:

A big disappointment after the agreeable Nose. It's way too Thin on the Palate and all the good work of the distillery in creating this Single Malt goes to waste. The subtle Smoke and Peat work well with the Fruity Glenfiddich Spirit but with this ABV it tastes more like a peated Fruit Juice than a Single Malt Whisky. I really hope that Glenfiddich will continue to experiment with peated Whisky but I urge them to give these special Single Malts a more adequate ABV of around 46% and a bit more of well-aged Whisky. Then we're really talking! I almost forgot to mention that it's mainly Sweet on the Palate. Flavor-wise it basically follows the Nose.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Apple, Pear, Orange Marmalade, Cinnamon, Ginger, Charred Oak and Floral notes.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apricots, Milk Chocolate, Lemon, Yeast, Pork on the BBQ, Pepper, Leather, Tobacco and Dried Herbs.

 

Finish:

Middle-Long & mainly Sweet with a light Bitterness towards the end. It's quite Thin and the raw Alcohol is noticeable at this point. It's Medium-Dry in the aftertaste and I find a light Metallic off-note. I find Malted Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Apple, Pear, Banana, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Floral notes, Yeast, Leather, Tobacco, Roasted Marshmallows, Honey, Cocoa, Pepper, Cinnamon, Licorice, Ginger and Charred Oak.

Drinking Advice:

No Need to add Water to this Glenfiddich. It's Thin enough as it is.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Good Nose but too Thin on the Palate

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Smooth and Very Nice.

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 and Duty Free shops as well and the chance is huge that Glenfiddich was your first Single Malt. It was mine! 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. We visited the distillery in May 2014 and May 2019. Despite the large number of visitors they still do a good job on the Tours.

Following the success of the innovative Solera Vatting for the 15 Yr Solera Reserve, Glenfiddich has created three new Solera Vats. The Vintage Cask is the 3rd release in this series and all three are sold exclusively in Global Travel Retail. This vatting contains whiskies aged in either European Spanish sherry - or 1st fill Bourbon casks  using heavily peated whisky (25 ppm). That comprises around 50% of the vatting and as it is blended with other whiskies it's brought down to about 10-15 ppm in the glass. Glenfiddich Vintage Cask harks to the past, when the distillery's output was partly peated.

Sometimes it's not easy to be a Whisky fan these days. Take this Glenfiddich for example. You know this could be a great Single Malt if longer-matured Whisky and a more appropriate ABV would be applied. The price would suggest something like that to be possible. Instead we get a relatively Young, not fully-matured Whisky that is bottled at the absolute legal minimum of 40%. Does that make sense? No! You're just paying way too much for a Young, Thin Whisky that comes in a nice bottle and fancy box. It's such a pity, the more so as the Glenfiddich Spirit and Peat combine well as can be ascertained on the Nose. So I would really like to ask the distillery to consider making a fully-matured peated Single Malt bottled at 46%. I am sure it would please many Whisky fans all around the world! As it is today I can't recommend this Single Malt at this price level.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 December 30, 2020

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

================================================================

I would like to Wish all my readers and whisky fans all over the world a better, healthier and more recognizable 2021. Because 2020 really sucked! Big Time! Stay Healthy and enjoy your Whisky in a safe way! Cheers, Jan.

============================================================

Glenfiddich 18 Small Batch Reserve

”Eighteen Without a Bullet”

Whisky Review # 889

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich 18 Small Batch Reserve - Batch # 3464

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Oloroso Sherry casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 70-90 (September 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay
Buying Advice: 😔 Nice for Beginners. Not really interesting for the long-time fans

Colour:

Mahogany (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Can a Scotch Single Malt smell like Comfort Food? Probably not but it was the first thing that came to my mind when smelling this Glenfiddich. The comfortable but not overly exciting Aromas of a well-matured modern mainstream Malt. It's agreeable and forgettable at the same time. The Sherry notes are present but not in a very pronounced way. The Nose is Medium-Sweet and ever so slightly Meaty.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Toffee, Marzipan, Sweet Apples & Pears, Dried Fruit like Figs, Raisins and Apricot, Grass and Straw, Nutella, Dusty Casks and Wood Shavings, Cinnamon, Mint and Ginger.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Demerara Sugar, Salted Caramel, Marshmallow, Honey, Vanilla, Wax, Floral Soap, Ripe Banana, Mixed Citrus Juice, Bounty Candy Bar and Pepper.

Palate:

Arrival and Mouthfeel are quite Thin. It should be a crime against the Whisky-loving community to bottle an 18 year old Single Malt at 40%. It's a damn shame! This would be so much better at 46%! Otherwise the Palate is friendly enough to appeal to beginning whisky drinkers. For the advanced fans it holds few secrets like most modern mainstream Malts. The Palate is mainly Sweet with a few light Bitter and Sour notes for balance.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Bounty Candy Bars, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Dried Apricots/Figs, Orange Peel, Sweet Apples/Pears, Nutella, Dusty Casks, Cinnamon, Ginger and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Fruit Cake, Straw, Wax, Espresso, Mixed Citrus Juice, Pepper, Nutmeg and Mint.

Finish:

Short/Medium-Long, Thin and mostly Sweet. A little bit Dry towards the end. I find Toasted Barley, Toffee, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Honey-Nut Cereals, Fruit Cake, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Orange Peel, Bounty Candy Bars, Dried Apricot, Sweet Apples & Pears, Dusty Oak, Herbal Tea, Tobacco, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Mint and Licorice. After a while some Strawberry Cake and Espresso.

Drinking Advice:

This Glenfiddich does not need added Water.

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

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 and Duty Free shops as well and the chance is huge that Glenfiddich was your first Single Malt. It was mine! 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. We visited the distillery in May 2014 and May 2019. Despite the large number of visitors they still do a good job on the Tours.

After Maturation, Malt Master Brian Kinsman hand-selected 150 exceptional casks and married those in large wooden tuns for another 3 months. So the distillery goes a long way to present this Small Batch Reserve. And then bottles it at 40%! Does that make sense? To me it doesn't! Better to use this fine new bottle and packaging and present a truly up-graded 18 Years with 100% First Fill casks, Natural Color, No Chill-Filtration and a decent ABV of 46%. Now that would make an impact. As it is though the Small Batch Reserve is a nice gift for beginning whisky fans but that's about it. Come on Brian, think this one through again!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 September 14, 2020

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

Glenfiddich 15 Years Distillery Edition Review

“Ordinary World”

Whisky Review # 841

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich 15 Distillery Edition

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 51%
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bourbon and Oloroso casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 50-60 (October 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: Okay
Buying Advice: 😑Okay for starters. Not interesting enough for regulars.

Colour:

Deep Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

A little too Edgy and "Hot" for a matured Speysider. The Alcohol is noticeable. I would suspect that mainly Refill casks were used. A little Sulphur perhaps but nothing too serious. The Sherry Wood is noticeable. On the Nose this Glenfiddich presents a mix of Sweet, Bitter, Sour and Floral notes. It is definitively quite modern and "mainstream". It 's not bad but I can't get excited about it either.

Main Aromas:

Barley Sugar, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apricots, Orange Marmalade, Toasted Nuts, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Grapefruit Juice, Pepper, Cinnamon and Leather.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Caramel, Apple, Pear, Mandarin, Pineapple, Dusty Straw, Dried Herbs, Coconut, Nutmeg, Cloves and Lemon-Pepper.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour notes. The Alcohol remains quite present. It tastes younger than its actual age.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apricots, Apple, Pear, Hazelnuts, Orange Marmalade, Mandarin, Charred Oak, Cinnamon, Clove, Pepper, Nutmeg and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Butterscotch, Black Currant Cake, Wet  Rocks, Ginger, Mustard and Leather.

Finish:

Middle-Long & Bitter-Sweet. A few Sour notes.The Alcohol remains noticeable. It is quite consistent with Nose and Palate. I find Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Heather-Honey, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Sultanas, Hazelnut paste, slightly Bitter Orange and Grapefruit Juice, Apple, Pear, Lemon, Grapes, Oak Char, Cocoa Powder, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Licorice, Mustard & Mint.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and that eases the slightly "rough" character of this Malt. Other than that it basically remains unchanged. Just add a few drops and see how you like it best.

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

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. We visited the distillery in May 2014 and May 2019. Despite the large number of visitors they still do a good job on the Tours.

The 15 DE I'm reviewing today is around for a while and is available at the distillery and some Travel Retail Shops. It's not a bad Whisky but it has all the slightly boring characteristics of many of today's Single Malts. I have a specific issue with this Glenfiddich though. It smells & tastes a little rough and not fully matured. I must blame the indifferent refill Wood for that. This 15 DE will most certainly appeal to new whisky drinkers and that's most likely the idea behind it. But it doesn't convince me. It's all a bit plain & without any "Wow" moments. The P/Q ratio is okay if you can get it at around US$ 50.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 24, 2019

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

Third Whisky Trip to Scotland May 20 - May 29, 2019

“Drams Come True 2019 ”

Our 3rd Whisky Trip to Scotland May 20-29, 2019

The Trip.

On May 20, 2019 we took a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Aberdeen. We hired an almost new, fully automatic and extremely comfortable Mercedes for our tour. Steering Wheel on the "wrong" side of course. It took a little while to get used to that but it all went well in the end. From Aberdeen Airport we drove to Stonehaven for the night. On May 21 we visited the Fettercairn distillery in Fettercairn and the Royal Lochnagar distillery in Crathie. The next day we went on a long trip to Wick for a visit to the Old Pulteney distillery. On May 23 we took the ferry in Scrabster for a 90 minutes trip to Stromness on the Orkney isles where we visited the Scapa and Highland Park distilleries.

The following day we returned with the ferry to Scrabster for a visit to the nearby Wolfburn distillery. After that on our way for a long trip to Speyside. On May 25 we visited the well-known Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown. The next day we visited the new Macallan distillery in Craigellachie and the GlenDronach distillery in Forgue. On May 27 we went to Sandend for a visit to the Glenglassaugh distillery. On our last day in Speyside we visited the Knock Dhu distillery in Knock and the Glen Garioch distillery in Oldmeldrum. To finish the trip we had an Ardmore tasting in the Cave Bar of the Meldrum House Hotel. On May 29 we returned to Aberdeen for our return flight to Amsterdam.

Logistics.

We mainly stayed in B&B facilities and in a few hotels. Around noon we would always find a nice place to enjoy Soup of the Day with Bread. At night we would look for the best Pub in town for Beers, Whisky and Food. On May 20, we stayed at the Arduthie House B&B in Stonehaven and had dinner at The Marine Hotel Pub close to the harbour. The B&B was nice but we were unpleasantly surprised by a Power failure in the town making a hot shower impossible. The B&B itself is good and well-located and the people are very friendly.

On May 21 we stayed at the Deeside Inn in Ballater. It's a very typical and a bit worn-out British small-town hotel. The restaurant is quite good. Better reserve a table and don't wait too long with ordering as they run out of a few dishes very quickly. Their Haggish is perfect! On May 22 we slept at the Harbour House Bed and Breakfast in Wick. It was okay but I would not go back there.

On May 23 we booked a room at the Rosevale Guesthouse in Stromness on the isle of Orkney. This was the best venue of the trip and I can fully recommend it. The breakfast is okay but did not impress as much as room and bathroom. On May 24 and 25 we stayed at the very cosy Speybank B&B. The room is good, the breakfast is excellent and the owner really makes you feel at home. At night we went to the Highlander Inn for whisky and dinner.

A lot has changed there however since our last visit in 2014. The food is still OK but the size of the Whisky collection has diminished greatly. Most of the special bottles and Indie casks have gone and have been replaced by more common whiskies. A pity that! On May 24 we wanted to have dinner at the Craigellachie Hotel but they were fully booked. We ate at the Highlander Inn for lack of alternatives as it was pouring with rain. We then returned to the Quaich Bar at the hotel however and spend a few very pleasant Whisky hours there with our barman Angus.

On May 26 and 27 we stayed at the Hillview B&B in Huntley. The owners are nice but I would not go back there. Both nights we had diner at the excellent Indian restaurant Cafe India. Recommended! On our last night on the 28th we had booked an apartment next to the Morris hotel in Oldmeldrum. Lots of room! We had breakfast at a good bakery on the square. For dinner and an Ardmore tasting we went to the Cave Bar of the Meldrum House hotel. A very nice place situated in a large park that also contains a golf course. A perfect way to end this trip.

Distilleries and Tours.

Like we did during our last Tour we made a fun ranking of the visits to all the distilleries considering the quality, enthusiasm and knowledge of the Tour guide, the length and depth of the Tour, the Price/Quality of tours and samples and the charisma of the distillery. Although we did visit Wolfburn we didn't rate it as there is no official Visitor Centre and the Tour scheme did not match our trip schedule. I can tell you though that it's certainly worth a visit. The owner and his crew are very nice and the quality of the Whisky promises for the future! Here is the final table for this trip:

Distillery		Tourguide	Tour	Price/Quality	Charisma	Total
GlenDronach		16	16	18	16	66
Glenfiddich		16	16	15	16	63
Glenglassaugh		15.5	16	15	15	61.5
Highland Park		16	15.5	13	16.5	61
Old Pulteney		16	15.5	12.5	15	59.5
Scapa		14	14.5	14.5	15	58
Fettercairn		12.5	14	16	15	57.5
Royal Lochnagar		14.5	16	10	16	56.5
Glen Garioch		12	13	12	16	53
Knock Dhu		11,5	12	13.5	15.5	52.5

The big winner this time was the GlenDronach distillery where we did the very nice Connaisseurs Experience Tour that costs 35 pounds. Not cheap but you get an excellent Tour that ended with a superb tasting of the whole distillery range provided at the impressive old Distillery House.

A very nice surprise was the Spirits of Innovation Tour at Glenfiddich that costs 25 pounds. Despite the massive number of visitors this Distillery maintains a high quality standard for their tours. The knowledge of the guide stood out here.

Another pleasant surprise was the Behind the Scenes Tours at Glenglassaugh. It costs 35 Pounds. It was just fun to be there and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit that ended with the beautiful view of the sea from the distillery grounds.

To conclude this part just a few remarks with respect to the other distilleries. Scapa was not in production during our visit and that has of course a negative impact on charisma of the  distillery at that moment. The staff was very nice though. Fettercairn and Knock Dhu are very nice but small distilleries that are not entirely prepared to receive visitors at this point. A pity as they are quite interesting in their own rights. The Viking Heroes Tour at Highland Park was okay despite the huge number of visitors but the drams were few and small. Old Pulteney is a very compact distillery and is certainly worth a visit. We did the Extra Tour there. And finally Royal Lochnagar. Next to Strathisla one of the most beautiful and picturesque distilleries I have visited so far. They also have an excellent Visitor Centre. What completely killed the Warehouse Experience Tour (25 pounds) was the small number of drams that only included one Royal Lochanar whisky namely the uninteresting 12 years. I have left my comments and hope the distillery will improve here. Because otherwise it's a great place to be and you should certainly go there if you can. It's next to the Balmoral Castle so you can combine the visits.

If the above is applicable to you, you should not visit Scotland. We had only two reasonable days this time and for the rest there was rain, rain and rain. It's not that essential when you're on a Whisky trip but it does make the days a bit gloomy. Be sure to take a pill as well if you have a sensible stomach if you're taking the ferry to Orkney. The ride can be a bit rough at times!

But other than that it was another great whisky trip to Scotland together with my dutch brother in law Jan Bronkhorst who took all the pictures again. Thanks for that! Look forward to our next whisky trip that could well be to Ireland!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  August 15, 2019