Review by: TOModera
Hooray for milestones only I care about!
So, for those of you who were once noobs, like me, you know that you looked over the sidebar to find recommendations. Or at least, some of us did.
Well… I may have taken it a little bit farther. Not “I’m going to wear texacer‘s face like a mask” too far, however that sorta “accountant” too far. I made a spreadsheet. And filled it with all the ones I hadn’t reviewed yet.
And then made that a challenge. To myself. For no reason.
So here we are, years later, at the end of the Next Level Malts list, with a whisky that was good enough to be at my wedding, Glenfiddich 18.
So if that doesn’t tell you my bias, I don’t know what will. Yes, Glenfiddich 18 was at my wedding, and it was one of three of the first boozes to run out in the first hour (Patron Tequila and Tequila Rose being the other two).
My reviews for Patron Tequila and Tequila Rose will be in the future. Or not. Probably not.
Anyway, moving on…
Glenfiddich 18 is a double barrel reserved single malt. It’s small batch as well, because marketers be marketing, yo. They use American oak and Spanish Oloroso wood in it’s production.
Distillery: Glenfiddich Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 43%.
Age: 18 years.
Cask type: Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry Casks.
Price: $109.95 (CAD) at the LCBO.
Color: Dark stain brown.
Nose: Grape, oak, raspberry, caramel, ginger
Surprisingly deep nose for a 40%. The sherry cask is evident, and while it doesn’t quite marry with the American oak perfectly, I do enjoy nosing this.
Last time I had it was at a buddies 30th birthday, sitting over a roaring fire, staring in the lake.
So again, I’m biased as fuck. That said, I can identify that the nose isn’t anything ‘that’ special. It’s special like you and I; in that mundane way, and only to some people.
Taste: Strawberry, oak, mace, butter, pear, basil
If you aren’t the biggest sherry fan, or haven’t had many sherried whiskies, then I’d recommend this one. It’s spicy, and the fruit isn’t over powering.
Not to mention the oak can come up as vanilla for some people, so it almost has a pie like flavour. And pie is good.
That said, the low Abv does hurt this one. There is a little bit of loss of flavour, and it doesn’t quite hit a complexity I’d want.
Finish: Grape, white chocolate, vanilla, woody, licorice, mangosteen, currant
Sweet, though not too sweet, with more oak influence on the finish. The finish is really where I enjoy this more than the other Glenfiddich core expressions (let’s leave the 21 year out of this, shall we?)
Conclusion: So there you have it. I enjoy the Glenfiddich 18 mostly for the finish and for the really great moments I’ve had while sipping it.
The nose is simple yet works, the taste is nice though harmed by the low Abv., and the Finish is the best part, yet would be epic at a higher Abv. It mixes together two casks well, though not as well as other distilleries.
All in all, I like it, so it gets some bonus points. And it’s a nice way to finish off the Next Level malts.
Now to go broke finishing the Ascendant malts.
Final Score: 80.
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 