Country – Region: Scotland – Speyside
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Type: Single Malt
Age: 15
Cask: European Sherry, New Oaks & Solera Vat
ABV: 40%
Proof: 80
Price: $60
Nose: Vanilla, honey, raisins, dry plums, sherry, creme patissiere
Palate: Nutmeg, cinnamon opens the palate. In time milk cream with churros and milk chocolate adds affection. Grains and dried fruits brings out a fruit cake with creamy cinnamon topping. Too much imagination huh?
Finish: Feels like an eggnog finish with dried figs and fudge creates a long, lingering and sweet finish.
Glenfiddich 15 Year Old is a pure example of creativity in the new 'Whisky Boom'. It was also branded as 'Solera Vat' or 'Solera Reserve' in the past. Whisky is aged for 15 years in European sherry and new oaks and then transferred to the Solera Vat to mellow down and capture new flavors.
The Solera Vat is inspired by the sherry bodegas of Spain and Portugal. It is a giant vatting cask of pine wood which was never emptied and always kept half full since 1998 to make sure new vatted 15 year old whisky gets some taste of older whiskies from the wood even from 1998.
I was lucky enough to see this giant barrel on the playground at the Glenfiddich Distillery. Such a marvelous artifact!
Aside from the production phase it is so rich and possesses various surprising elements which makes it fun and pleasure to drink this great dram. Reminding me off eggnog -which is a cocktail I love - Glenfiddich 15 Year Old will always be a favorite whisky of mine.
The distillery brought out various bottles with different cask influences. That is something I love about the Speyside distillery as they are never afraid of doing something that was never done before. This expression was no different and luckily it became a hit