Glenfiddich 12yo Caoran Reserve

Glenfiddich 12yo Caoran Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, cinder toffee, barley sugar, malted grains, toast, hints of germolene. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, warm, tingly.
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cinder toffee, barley sugar, malted grains, pears, fresh baked bread, hints of white grapes. 
Finish: Long. Soot, smoke, peat, burnt sugar, cinder toffee, pears. 

Comments: 

Peated Glenfiddich, I did not know this existed! The peat is very gentle though, the Glenfiddich pear is evident. It’s only sooty and ashy on the finish, even though the sweet notes still come through.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich Orchard Experiment (Experimental Series 05)

Glenfiddich Orchard Experiment (Experimental Series 05)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Rose gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, honey, Calvados, lemon zest, overripe peaches, white pepper, hints of pineapples. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour. Apple juice, honey, Calvados, cinnamon, white pepper, toast, fresh cut grass, hints of pineapples. 
Finish: Short. Pineapples, toast, autumn leaves, honey. 

Comments: 

Finished in Somerset apple brandy casks. Quite appley, but also tart and spicy. Wish it was bottled at a higher strength. Turns out I like apple brandy finishes. Who knew?

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich IPA Experiment

Glenfiddich IPA Experiment 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Buttercups
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hoppy beer, lemon zest, kiwifruit, malted grains, sour cream, apple juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, sour cream, hoppy beer, ginger, cinnamon, apple juice, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, apple juice, honey, ginger, green tea. 

Comments: 

Malty and tart, it’s quite a refreshing whisky. The lowish ABV doesn’t seem to hurt it at all. Lots of fruit and spice too, and very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich New Make (2018)

Glenfiddich New Make (2018)

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Colourless
71.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Melons, cucumber, popcorn, pears. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Pears, popcorn, vanilla, cucumber, sugared peanuts. 
Finish: Long. Pears, apples, cucumber, sugared peanuts. 

Comments: 

Cask sample 180117201 (distilled on 17 January 2018). Freshly distilled Glenfiddich spirit, aged not a jot in wood. A few people I've shown it to believe that this is a very high ABV for a whisky with Glenfiddich's flavour. It's not as sweet as I thought it would be, but it's got some pear notes. They're subtly different from the pear notes in aged Glenfiddich though, and there's something more herbal in it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich Project XX

Glenfiddich Project XX

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, raisins, honey, chocolate, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, thickens, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toffee, chocolate, raisins, orange peel, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, raisins, orange peel, vanilla, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Plenty of sherry casks in this one. Nicely complex, rather warming on a cool autumn day, this rather hit the spot. I don't advise drinking it out of season though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich 12 yo

Glenfiddich 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, orange peel, pears, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, syrupy, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, chocolate, orange peel, marshmallows, hints of pears. 
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, marshmallows, pears, raisins. 

Comments: 

Very sherried, plenty of red fruit and chocolate. Also something gelatiney on the tongue, marshmallows, perhaps. Decent entry level dram from Glenfiddich, the range is looking in good shape these days.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich Excellence 26 yo

Glenfiddich Excellence 26 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Light amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, vanilla, cola nuts, black tea, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, sticky, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla, chocolate, orange peel, raisins, pears, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Pears, chocolate, raisins, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Old Glenfiddich, the oldest in the official range. Lots of pear, but it's overlaid with plenty of sherry influence - raisins, chocolate, etc. There's a slight bitter note that's also fragrant, definitely coffee here. Overall a decent whisky, but somehow tastes younger than it is.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich Malt Masters Edition Sherry Cask

Glenfiddich Malt Masters Edition Sherry Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Tea
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dark chocolate, red grapes, stewed pears, plums. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, thickens, slightly chewy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Dark chocolate, raisins, prunes, strawberries, red wine, stewed pears. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, red wine, stewed pears, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

My first Glenfiddich in years! It's not often you get special editions either. This one has the classic Glenfiddich pear, and here it is mellowed so much by the sherry influence it reminds me of pears stewed in red wine. Lovely grapey, chocolatey finish as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glenfiddich 18 yo Ancient Reserve

Glenfiddich 18 yo Ancient Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, raisins, peanuts, condensed milk, vanilla, chillies, leather,orange peel, hints of pear.
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Salty. Condensed milk, salt caramel, popcorn, chillies, raisins, peat, hints of leather, hints of pears.
Finish: Medium. Peat, walnut skins, pears, leather.

Comments:

This doesn't taste much like your usual Glenfiddich. Quite peaty, salty, and spicy. There's a lot of savoury notes and not a lot of fruity sweet notes. The Glenfiddich pear is very faint, and the usual accompanying magic marker notes absent.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich 21 yo Gran Reserva

Glenfiddich 21 yo Gran Reserva

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brandy, brown paper, raisins, sherry, apple, tobacco leaf, hints of chillies, hints of condensed milk.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, apples, raisins, oak, tobacco leaf, condensed milk, hints of mushrooms.
Finish: Short. Oak, brown paper, raisins, hints of apples.

Comments:

Matured in Cuban rum casks (no longer available, replaced by the plain old 21 yo). This is a nice oaky expression of Glenfiddich, with the rum casks adding notes of tobacco, and maybe the hints of chillies. I think this would have benefited from being a tad stronger. Still quite tasty, if slightly disappointing.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark honey
40% ABV
Mini

Nose: Cherry blossom, pears, apples, hint of orange, vanilla underneath.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium body, astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Pears, cheddar, malted barley, hint of honey.
Finish: Short Sweet, grapefruit, sour and bitter at the end.

Comments:

Aged for 15 years in oak then transferred to a solera aging system (a series of barrels where the spirit is transferred along to the next sequential barrel every time some is bottled). Lots of pear flavour, but I think the solera system have resulted in this spirit being much older than the age statement. There's almost too much oak in it.

Verdict:

I like this.