Review by: TOModera
Quick Recap: So each year, for my friend’s birthday, I bring him out to that pub I won’t shut up about[1] and buy him and myself a flight of Scotch. Suffice to say, I enjoy his birthday almost as much as he does. If you’re following my posts closely, you’ll be creepy…. also, you’ll remember I did this last year as well.
This year we did the Highland/Speyside flight:
- Glen Garioch 15 year
- Glenmorangie 10 year 100 proof
- Brora 1981 18 year Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask
- Macallan Cask Strength Sherry
- Glenfiddich 15 year Solera
- Glenlivet Scott’s Selection 1977
Savvy? Good, you’re caught up. Link to Glen Garioch above, as well as my past reviews of the two past ones I’ve already reviewed.
Today we’ll be reviewing the Glenfiddich 15 year Solera. My buddy didn’t remember having many Sherried Scotches, so this was a new discovery for him. You’ve all probably had a Glenfiddich before, and know what to expect. Fun Fact: Glenfiddich means “Valley of the Deer”, which is why the stag is everywhere on their bottles.
For this whisky, they’ve matured in Sherry casks that were used for aging Sherry using the Solera process. In that case, you fill a succession of containers at a certain interval. Then after the interval is done, you tap the oldest for part of its contents, and then fill it with the second oldest container.
TL; DR: There’s a bunch of Sherry flavour up in this hizzy yo due to a process that allows for varying shorties to contribute flavs.
Now that I’ve proven I’m so white I’m clearer than a Sailing Scientologist, let’s move onto the review.
Distillery: Glenfiddich Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 40%.
Age: 15 years.
Cask type: Sherry Casks.
Price: N/A
Color: Faded blood on gold bricks (In literary terms, we call this foreshadowing)
Nose: It really needs a lot of air time. When you first pour it, it is quite ethanol-y. After about half an hour in the glass, things do dissipate nicely though. When things do settle down, it is quite vegetal in scent. You get a fresh vegetable scent of some root vegetables. Celery, radishes, and kohlrabi are what come to mind. It has that “crisp” scent to it that comes along with those vegetables. Something akin to lemongrass also makes and appearance along with a bit of the sherry.
Palate: Tastes like chicken.
Finish: Short. Like /u/spez’s AMA.
Conclusion:
Nose: Cherry, strawberry, strippers, cotton candy, angel food cake, wheat, honey, little butter
Yeah, strippers. This smells like that one stripper who wears a lot of red, and you end up in her chest, and later on everything smells like fake strawberry and candy. Or maybe her name was Candy.
None the less, it’s all red berries and candy. And don’t eat the red berries unless you know they are safe, kids (in literary terms, this is a metaphor, calling back to the strippers before, made in an innocuous sense. It’s questionable if it will work)
Taste: Weak, strawberry, Fruite Fruit Punch drink, oak, grape, chocolate, cough syrup
So… weak. Like, me when I was 10 weak (I was a fat kid). There’s some fruit punch/cough syrup, but it’s mixed into the typical Glenfiddich 12 year, so the oak and grape are hanging out… wondering what the hell happened to the neighborhood after the red scare went through (In literary terms, we have no idea what he’s calling back here, and are worried that it may be racist, even though it’s not meant to be).
Finish: Weak Kool-aid, oak, pear, cherry
Short, sad, weak sauce finish. I’d rather buy the 12 year than the Solera.
Final Score: 72.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 