Distillery: Glenfiddich Distillery
Proof: 80
Age: 12 Years
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Glenfiddich is a distillery founded in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland in the glen of the River Fiddich, which is how they got their name Glenfiddich. In the 1920's, during the US Prohibition, Glenfiddich strategically looked ahead and were one of the only distilleries to increase production during the Prohibition in order to meet the rise in demand for fine aged whiskies that came when the Prohibition would be repealed. In the 1950's, the Grant family invested in their onsite infrastructure that included coppersmiths to maintain their copper stills. In the 1960's and 70's when whisk(e)y distilleries fell on hard times and many small distilleries folded or were acquired, Glenfiddich expanded their whisky production, invested in advertisements and decided to market their whisk(e)y as "Single Malt" which was the creation of what is now the "Single Malt Whisky" category. In 1963, Glenfiddich first introduced their Single Malt Whisky to the United States and other foreign markets. Glenfiddich has a very expansive product line with whisky ranging from 12 to 50 years old and with multiple different finishes. Glenfiddich 12 Year is their flagship product and was aged for at least 12 years in American oak and European oak sherry casks.
NOSE: Sweet scents of sherry wine, green apples, white wine vinegar and peaty malt notes wafted up from the glass on first smell. Lemon pepper notes make themself known the more I smelt this one. Their are feint traces of oak hidden beneath the peat and malt notes. This is a very smooth and sweet nose that really opens up the more you smell. (21/25)
PALATE: Glenfiddich 12 Year starts off with a nice lightness that opens up to sweet green apple, tart apple, copper tang, lemon, and light vanilla. This whiskey is a little harsh at first as the tartness and bitterness contrast but with after your palate adjusts there are notes of sweet and tart cherry, black pepper, honey, and char. The flavor profile is sweet and tart with a little bit of spice. (30/40)
FINISH: The finish is medium in length and is dominated by peat, oak, pepper, and tart apple. It left our mouthes tingling a little bit and a little wet. (19/25)
VALUE: With a $26 SRP this whisky is an absolute steal! Most US stores have it at around $35 which is still a great value. (9/10)
Overall: 79/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Glenfiddich 12 Year is a smooth, sweet, and reliable single malt scotch. This was one of the first scotch's in our collection and has become a staple. This is a great whisk(e)y to try out if you want to get into Scotch Whisky. We recommend this to anyone who is new to whiskey, new to scotch, or looking for a new go-to budget whisky.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Grangestone 14 Year PX Cask Finish
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Glenmorangie 10
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Shieldaig Islay Single Malt
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
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