Pioneering the single malt category and hailing from Speyside, the "Valley of the Deer," Glenfiddich has carved a unique niche for itself. Perhaps one of the most iconic Speyside whiskies on shelves around the world, the iconic deer-head icon emblazoned on their bottles is identifiable even from across the bar.

Regardless of whether you're a seasoned afficionado or just beginning your foray into Speyside Scotch, Glenfiddich is certainly a good pick.

Hate it or love it, it certainly has an esteemed history. From founder William Grant's built the distillery by hand, Glenfiddich's offerings have been poster-children for that classic Speyside flavor we all know and love.

For those that want to know more about this cervid-themed Scotch, we have just the thing for a good, informative reading. For those that want to know how the core range tastes? We also have you covered!

Let's get started!!! 

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, Original Twelve, 40% ABV - Review

 

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Nose: Really classic Highland aromas here - baskets of apples, pears, some peaches and apricots too; all these orchard fruits and stone fruits, laid on a bed of runny honey. It leans fruity and sweeter, with a more subtle but rich side of maltiness and cereal. There’s a light oakiness but not overdoing it, with a sort of spiced quality of cinnamon and nutmeg. On the whole it’s giving apple pies, but with more freshness and brightness.

Palate: Much of the same as was had on the nose, although a little lighter here. All these orchard fruits, backed by honey, light sprinkle of baking spices, here it’s a slight bit more perfumed with some white florals in place of the brightness of fruit. Some candied ginger and a little bit more on brown sugar as it develops. There’s a little bit of raisins, plums and figs into the finish, with a little bit leather.

Finish: The honey continues into the finish, with some plum concentrate and prunes, with a little bit of tobacco, leather and cloves. Slight nuttiness of crushed walnuts. Pretty light on the finish, with a slight spiciness.

 

 

My Thoughts

A pretty solid classic Highland whisky - it’s the sort of whisky that is really good to start with, it’s easy going, lends well to most palates with the fruity and honeyed flavours that makes it an easy and likeable whisky - really quite inoffensive. You get a good spectrum of flavours from fruits to florals and malt, and even sports a little bit of that Sherry cask into the finish. Perhaps my only gripe with this is that it could use more richness and heft on the palate to give it more depth and more satisfying body. Nevertheless, no one’s going to fight you on this - this makes a pretty good gift to someone who’s just getting into whiskies.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old, Solera Fifteen, 40% ABV - Review

 

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Nose: Here it feels more forward and richer, with the same orchard fruits of apples, pears, apricots, even a little bit of lemons, with a base of honey, some vanilla sauce, as well as baking spices. There are some white florals garnishing it, with some cereal notes towards the base as well. Some bubblegum or tutti-frutti from time to time. With time some eucalyptus and brown sugar emerges, almost a little bit herbal, as well as some raisins and leather begins to develop.

Palate: Lots of honey, butterscotch, caramel, this leans a fair bit sweeter, packed with raisins, milk chocolate bits, as well as those poached and spiced apples and pears. It’s giving apple pie and strudel. Some apricots too, along with those baking spices and caramel. There’s a big hit of chocolate cake into the finish. Slightly bitter into the finish, of charred wood, along with some spiciness of candied ginger. Medium-bodied.

Finish: The charred oak bitterness carries through to the finish, turning up somewhat before returning to those prunes, figs, raisins, and chocolate. It’s joined by some more of that dried ginger. There’s also some worn leather here, with an understated bit of wild honey.

 

 

My Thoughts

This is definitely a bigger whisky (especially compared to the 12 Year Old), with bolder and richer notes that are more forward. It feels much more maximalist here. There’s a little bit less of that Highland character of orchard fruits here, with a bigger proportion of those Sherry flavours of raisins, chocolate and ginger - that all changes the mix up of the flavour profiles quite a bit.

Whilst I found this to be more muscular, richer and more forward, there’s a slight oakiness that is giving just a little too much bitterness into the finish, and at times it does feel like the Sherry cask is tussling with the Highland flavours a little, which makes it not as cohesive as I’d like it to be. That said, I think this could work pretty well for a poker or movie night - it’s pretty entertaining and has that much more oomph. It’s got more presence that makes for a good accompaniment for the night.

Glenfiddich 18 Year Old, Small Batch Eighteen, 40% ABV - Review

 

 

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Nose: Orchard fruits comes through again, coated in honey and brown sugar, toffee too, giving all those baked fruit pastries. Cooked down plums and figs, yellow raisins, along with some leather, tobacco leaves, as well as some forest floors gives it a richer and more earthy base. Some cacao here too, baking spices, as well as some damp grass and lavender rounds it up. It feels fuller and more complex and layered here.

Palate: More of that honey and brown sugars, outlined by some oranges, with a body of stewed plums, figs and raisins, milk chocolate and some leather. There’s a streak of oakiness with some light tannins. More on tobacco leaves, cloves, along with some vanilla frosting. It’s smooth and fuller bodied with more heftiness. Some crushed walnuts and black tea with a slight bitterness.

Finish: Some apple tea comes through into the finish, light bitterness of the oak, along with brown sugar, cocoa, leather and a more leafy tobacco. Candied ginger gives the finish a slight spiciness.

 

 

My Thoughts

This packs a lot of heftiness and body, and embodies a much more classic Speyside Sherry matured whisky, with not so much of the Highland influences. In that sense this has traded out all those brighter orchard fruits of apples, pears and honey, for darker flavours of poached plums, figs, raisins and brown sugar.

I found this better balanced as compared to the 15 Year Old, more cohesive, and richer as well. This gives a really lovely and warm flavour palette that’s very enjoyable, packed with a different kind of fruitiness and sweetness - one that’s richer and heavier. I also really enjoyed the earthiness, with that particular grassy note that gave it more depth and a sort of almost herbal quality to it. This is a pretty solid pick, and makes for a good post-dinner drink, or perhaps something like Christmas festivities.

The Bottom Line

The Glenfiddich flagship series of 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old and 18 Year Old, neatly showcases the spectrum of Highland flavours all the way to more classic Sherry laden Speyside flavours. If you’re able to pick up a miniature set of the trio - I do encourage it, it’s a very fun experience to go through them and see how the whisky develops and takes on more Sherry flavours.

The 12 Year Old is lighter, fruity and honeyed - an easy drinker that’s very approachable, and feels like a summer time dram. This would make a good gift for someone starting out. A classic Highland malt through and through.

The 15 Year Old is starting to show some of that Sherry flavours, and so you get two fold the fruits, but with that you’re also getting two flavour profiles that can at times feel awkward. This feels like a transitional whisky that’s not quite here nor there. That said, it is rather entertaining and definitely informative.

The 18 Year Old has the most prominent Sherry flavours, dispensing with the bulk of its Highland qualities. Here there’s much more richness and heft, with darker flavours that feels very comforting and warm. This is a pretty solid Speyside pick.