Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
Having recently “rediscovered” Glenfiddich, I decided to make their standard 18 year old expression my drink of the day. Since I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m developing a cold, I also decided to make it my second drink of the day – just to be on the safe side.
Rather than blabbering on in my usual fashion, I’m going to get straight to business with this review. My very first thought when putting drink #1 to my nose was “I bet this would go well with a cup of coffee”, a theory I proved right some 5 minutes of impatient waiting later. Do note that I said with and not in, by the way. The nose has a lovely and well rounded scent to it, packed with sweet dried fruits (apricot, apple, raisins) along with a vanilla fudge note, as well as a lovely bit of citrus which brings a perfect measure of balance to the sweetness. I can’t quite decide whether it is better than the 15 year old, though… I suspect they may be on par.
The palate is very gentle; if drinking Cutty Sark is like being slapped across the face with a trout (it is), this is like being caressed by a mermaid. Once again there’s that sweet fudge and some of the fruitiness is still present, though it has been joined by some oak and spice notes. There’s also that same honey sweetness you find in the 15 year old, but unfortunately I can’t find the warm banana which I so enjoyed in that expression.
As I hope is obvious from the above, I am definitely a fan of this whisky. It’s very drinkable and a perfect drink for just sitting back and relaxing with a good book, or a cup of coffee, or both. That said, though, I’m not sure whether it’s worth the extra $11 or so to upgrade from the 15. I guess it depends on the thickness of your wallet, but I do think the 15 offers better bang for your buck.
Color: Light gold.
Nose: Dried fruits (apricot, apple, raisins), vanilla fudge, citrus.
Palate: Sweet, fudge, same fruits as nose, oak, spice, honey.
Want to buy this whisky? Available in: USA & World (click), UK & Europe (click)