Glenfiddich whisky

Glenfiddich scotch

Glenfiddich Scotch whisky

The world famous Glenfiddich distillery isn't just the birthplace of
the best known 'brand' of single malt whisky. With a production
capacity of more than 10,000,000 litres of alcohol per year 'Fiddich
is 'the giant ' of the industry. William Grant also owns the Balvenie
and Kininvie distilleries, as well as the recently opened Ailsa Bay.

The distillery is located in the bustling town of Dufftown in the heart
of Banffshire. Other distilleries in the immediate area are its sister
distilleries Balvenie and Kininvie, as well as Convalmore, Dufftown,
Glendullan, Mortlach and Pittyvaich. Wow, the town runs on whisky!
The massive international success of the Glenfiddich brand over the
years proves that the main ingredient of malt whisky is marketing.

Fortunately, the '90's seem to have been a particularly difficult decade for Glenfiddich.
Bottlings from the 1960's and 1970's that I've tried were much better than the generic
stuff they bottled in the 1990's. During the early noughties of the 21st century they've
released more batches and bottlings that have convinced me that they have found the
way up again. Well, they had to - for a long time Glenfiddich was the logical next step for
people 'upgrading' from blends, but these days there's some serious competition in malts.

One of the main reasons for their success is arguably their world famous triangular bottle.
It's also used for their 'Grant's' blend and was first introduced in 1957 to distinguish the
brand from other whiskies on the shelves of liquorists. Well, you can't argue with results.
That being said, when I tried my first Glenfiddich in the 1980's it thought it was a good
whisky - but that was because I was used to drinking affordable blends like Teacher's.
It took a Lagavulin for me to go mad about malt whisky in the early 1990's. In those
days Glenfiddich was still marketed as a 'pure malt' and they paled in comparison... 

By 1980 Glenfiddich had a grand total of 29 stills which didn't operate in 'pairs' like
at many other distilleries. At the time Glenfiddich ran 11 wash stills and 18 spirit stills,
both gas and coal fired. If my data is correct Glenfiddich has reduced the number of
stills significantly since then. In 2000 they ran five wash stills & eight spirit stills.
These 8 spirit stills are unusually small compared to other Scotch whisky distilleries.

1) The massive Glenfiddich distillery we can see today was allegedly founded with just 120 GBP of capital.

2) Apparently, Glenfiddich was the first distillery in Scotland to open a reception centre for the public in 1969. At the time, they were also the only malt distillery with its own bottling plant, but by the time I write this I know of at least one other distillery that has its own bottling plant as well: Bruichladdich on Islay.

3) Glenfiddich was the first malt distillery to adopt the practice of 'continuous mashing'.

4) William Grant worked at Mortlach for almost 20 years before he founded Glenfiddich distillery.

5) Glenfiddich is one of almost two dozen malt whisky distilleries that were founded over a century ago during the 'whisky boom' of the late 19th century and which have managed to survive until this day. The other survivors include Aberfeldy, Ardmore, Aultmore, Balvenie, Benriach, Benromach, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glenrothes, Glentauchers, Knockandu, Knockdhu, Longmorn, Tamdhu and Tomatin.
 

Glenfiddich 21yo 'Rum Finish' (40%, OB, Cask selection #19, Bottled +/- 2008)
Nose: Complex but subdued at first, with soft fruits and industrial oils in the background.
The sourish fruits (cider?) that I find in other rum finished whiskies as well. More rum smells later on.
Taste: Full bodied and fruity; excellent mouth feel. Well, the finish is very dry, pulling it out of silver medal territory.
But I should mention that I'm quite spoilt - people used to the normal expression will be surprised by this one.
Score: 83 points - after one or two minutes it settles down, losing some of the complexity in the nose.
Yep, I'd most certainly recommend this to anybody - not the best 21yo I ever had but good stuff...

Glenfiddich 30yo (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2008)
Nose: Shoe polish. Well balanced but nondescript. Faint veggy notes? Citrussy prickle in the background.
Taste: Fairly weak, fruity start. Feels a little thin. Strong, dry tannins kick in quickly.
After a few minutes the centre grows much sweeter and more complex (passion fruit).
Score: 83 points - a respectable score, but the Glenfiddich 21yo expression does just as well.

Glenfiddich 1973/2007 (46.6%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, Cask #28563)
Nose: Fairly subtle start, but you can smell some greatness in the background. Polished.
Fruitier & much more complex during round two. More complex than some other Glenfiddich whiskies.
Taste: Strong but nondescript start. Smooth centre, fresh & fruity finish. Fairly harsh tannins in the finish.
Score: 86 points - which makes this my favourite expression of Glenfiddich malt whisky so far.

Glenfiddich 32yo 1974/2006 (47,3%, OB for LMdW Paris, C#10260)
Nose: Sweet, mellow and accessible. Hint of something 'painty' in the nose? Developing fruity notes.
Taste: Good sweet wood. A hint of salmiak? Maybe not very 'edgy', but a good whisky with no obvious flaws.
Score: 84 points - it grew on me over time thanks to the fruits in the nose and the wood on the palate.

Glenfiddich 12yo Special Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2005)
Nose: Light and sweet. Not a lot going on, it seems. Still, it's a decent malt that almost makes it to 'average'.
It seems just a tad maltier in the nose during a second try. Light and grainy; pleasant but a little bland.
Taste: A tad watery. Uneven. Faint hint of liquorice? Dry and a little gritty. Sweeter and more solid with time.
Score: 73 points - this is very drinkable, but due to lack of personality I'd still have to put it below average.

Glenfiddich 12yo Caoran Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2005)
Nose: Light and grainy. Melon? Some faint spices, perhaps.  Tea? Not very expressive. Bad nose day today?
Taste: Very light. Smooth. Soft. Fruity. Feels a tad rough in the centre. Winey finish. Dry aftertaste.
Uneven on the palate. In fact, I wouldn't even score it above average; not boring, but something doesn't fit.
Score: 71 points - but I should point out that I scored it in the upper 70's on a few other occasions.

Glenfiddich 15yo Solera Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2005)
Nose: Malty and spicy. That's about all there is to tell. A very decent malt that lacks some personality.
During a second glass it seemed a tad grainier in the nose. Then sweeter notes emerged. Malty.
Taste: Soft and smooth. Once again there isn't much more to tell. Decidedly average, but good whisky.
I was inclined to increase my score by a few points based on the nose, but the palate kept it at 75 points.
Score: 75 points - MOTR. The most remarkable thing I can mention is that it's so unremarkable...

Glenfiddich 21yo Gran Reserva (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2005)
Nose: Latex paint? Some faint fruits. Maybe a hint of something organic after five minutes. Quite nice.
Taste: Watery. Some tannins. Grows very dry in the finish. Not bad at all, but right now nothing stands out.
Score: 78 points - but I had to give this one a little time. It seemed richer in the nose during a second try.
Especially after five minutes it blossoms. So, this one really needs time! Pine on the palate? Feels a bit bourbony.

Glenfiddich 30yo (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2005)
Nose: Polished. Sweet with a good dose of sherry. Some spices. Roasted pig. Quite subtle but lovely.
Taste: Sweet and fruity. Lovely tannins. Drying out towards the finish. A tad weak but utterly drinkable.
Score: 84 points - but I should add that this requires some time and a lot of attention. It's rewarding though. 

Glenfiddich 12yo Special Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2004)
Nose: Ah, solid, sweet and nutty, growing fruitier quickly. Maybe a hint of smoke.
Quite fragrant - I like that. Hints of vegetables (string beans?). Slightly grainy.
Some organics as well. Hey, over time it grows more in the direction of warm milk!
It never becomes terribly complex, but it's just mighty entertaining in the nose.
Taste: Sourish, fairly weak start. Firms up in the centre. A very long, creamy finish.
After a while the finish grows mildly 'winey' - nice, but not enough for a score in the 80's.
It grows just a little to weak and bitter on the palate, pulling it from the upper 70's.
Score: 73 points - it falls apart fairly soon (within ten minutes), so drink up quickly!

Glenfiddich 15yo Solera Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2004)
Nose: Slicker & oilier than the last one. Hints of vegetables and organics. Strange.
Unique. Rotting fruits and vegetables behind a cow stable - at a farm at the coast?
Sherry and a hint of organics. Quite peculiar - not really my 'type' but very interesting.
Taste: Smooth start, growing maltier and grittier - then bitter and much more 'winey'.
Hey, that's funny; in the far back of the finish I have a nice 'dried apples' aftertaste.
Unlike the 12yo, my score for this Glenfiddich kept creeping upwards with every single sip.
Score: 77 points - just because this is such a unique experience. Jungle juice.
Hey, hey, hey... Four points up from last year's release. Off the beaten path.

Glenfiddich 18yo Ancient Reserve (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2004)
Nose: Ah, Oak and tobacco. Heavy sherry and rotting grapes. Very expressive. Hey, hey, what a fun nose.
That being said, it feels slightly 'designed'. Perfume? I got some more 'farmy' notes after a few minutes.
There are organics in the background as well, but they are sort of overwhelmed. Pickled gherkins?
Cream cheese? The nose opens up nicely and seems a little sweeter and fruitier over time.
Taste: Oy; this whisky is a little weaker than I expected - and certainly not as sweet. Some smoke.
Very dry and quite woody too. This reminded me a lot of the Auchentoshan 'Three Wood'.
Score: 76 points - the nose is very nice; a few points up from last year's batch of the Glenfiddich 18.
In comparison with the 15yo, it just seemed a little woody and tired on the palate to me.

Glenfiddich 21yo Gran Reserva (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2004)
Nose: This has some fruits & sherry, but it remains fairly subtle. Very faint organics too.  Too tame for me.
A well balanced malt, but not very expressive one way or the other. It changes a lot over time.
Some more organics emerge in the end - and maybe fruit and liquorice - but it's too late.
Taste: Sweetish, malty and a little nutty. Not complex but entertaining nonetheless.
Over time the profile changes. After ten minutes it grows woodier. Bitter. Hint of smoke?
Score: 79 points - it's an 'above average' malt with a slight personality deficit. It could do with a higher proof.
 

These were not all the (official and independent) expressions of Glenfiddich whisky I've tried over the years.
My Track Record used to contain a complete overview of all the single malts I've tried, but when I passed the 2000 malts mark (and the complete whisky list wouldn't fit on two separate HTML pages anymore) I gave up. My Liquid Log still contains my tasting notes on most single malts I've sampled and scored, though. You can find a specific expression through the search box at the top of each distillery profile. The mAlmanac now contains (purely personal) selections of some of the best single malts and the worst whiskies I've tried so far - as well as the ones with the highest 'Bang-For-Your-Buck' value. But those tasting notes and scores only reflect my own, purely personal opinions.

On Serge's distillery profile on Whiskyfun you can find another perspective on the whisky made at this distillery.
Check out the Malt Maniacs Monitor on Malt Maniacs for my scores on all expressions I've tried so far - and those of almost all the other certified malt maniacs as well. The Malt Maniacs Matrix contains a few thousand single malts that were sampled and scored by at least four different malt maniacs, so you can compare our individual opinions.
 

In 1963 Glenfiddich released their single malt as an official bottling for the first time (and
probably the first distillery to actually do so). This turned out to be a massive succes; in
1964 they sold around 4,000 cases but just a decade later (1974) the sales had already
grown to some 120,000 cases. Glenfiddich managed to build their malt whisky into a real
'brand' - and they were the first to do so. Their pioneering work created 'single malts'.

As the picture at the left shows,
the 'still room' at the Glenfiddich
distillery lacks the charm of those
at some other distilleries, but the
new buildings don't lie about the
basic function: a whisky factory.

The contrast with the Kilbeggan
distillery in Ireland is striking, but
admittedly that's actually more of
a 'show pony' distillery for Cooley.

The approach of William Grant & Sons has always
been sensible and business-like. The distillery was
still being built when Alfred Barnard published his
book 'Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom' in
1887. Within a century, Glenfiddich had managed to
overtake more than a hundred competitors. They
are Scotland's #1 malt whisky producer, distantly
followed by Glen Grant, Glenlivet and Macallan,

Glenfiddich was founded in 1886-1887 by the company / family that still owns it; William Grant & Sons.
When they first started production at Glenfiddich they didn't use purpose built material; the old stills from
Cardow distillery - nowadays known as Cardhu - were considered good enough at the time. At the time
of the big whisky 'boom' of the late 19ty century they operated as Glenfiddich Distillery Co.

2002 - Glenfiddich launches a number of noticeable new whisky bottlings; including the 12yo 'Caoran Reserve' (a vaguely peaty version) and the 21yo 'Gran Reserva' (finished in Cuban rum casks). Because the 21yo had been influenced by the traces of Cuban rum, the American Customs Gestapo stopped these bottles at the border.
Who said fascism is dead?
 
2005 - Glenfiddich distillery invests almost 2 million GBP in a new visitor centre. Their first visitor centre was opened in 1969, and at the time it was also the very first whisky distillery visitor centre in Scotland.
 
2009 - A 50 years old official bottling of Glenfiddich whisky is released. This wasn't the oldest official bottling of Glenfiddich ever though; that was the Glenfiddich 1937/2002 'Rare Collection' (40.4%, OB, C#843, 61 Bts.).
 
2010 - Like many other distilleries (Balvenie, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Glenfarclas and Highland Park), Glenfiddich releases a 40 years old official bottling in 2010 as well. A 40yo OB almost seems "standard" these days.
 
2011 - Don Ramsay, Scotland's longest-serving cooper, retires on Hogmanay. Don started working at the Glenfiddich distillery on Christmas Day 1961, when he was just 15 years old. The press release says: "His employers said he has created more than 200,000 casks during his 50-year career". So, they didn't ask Don himself?