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Scotch Whisky Review: Glenfiddich 18 Year Old

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7

Scotch Whisky Review: Glenfiddich 18 Year Old

Glenfiddich 18 Year Old is matured in ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks, a classically rich style within the distillery's core range.
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer, YouTuber, and former manager of The Whisky Shop Manchester, UK.
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Tasting Notes:

About:

Another world famous expression from Glenfiddich. This time we have a focus on sherry maturation within their 18 year old single malt expression. Matured in ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks, this Glenfiddich is the classically rich style within the core range. You can expect some of those classic Glenfiddich notes that are typically a little lighter, backed up by more classic sherry notes that are familiar with other huge distilleries from the Speyside area.


Appearance:
Golden/Dark Red
Nose:
This is all milk chocolate. Loads of creamy sweet things that remind of tiramisu. There are the light coffee notes, sweetened cream, chocolate, a slight earthiness of things like hazelnuts and walnuts.

Much like other bottles in the Glenfiddich range, the 18 year old does have some earthier notes that are quite herb driven. This is more coriander and parsley, there are touches of soft saltiness to this which I wasn’t expecting at all.
Palate:
The palate sings of more lovely dessert things that still fit nicely into the tiramisu diagram. Those earthy notes or coriander and parsley are gone, replaced with a little tang of oak just around the sides of your tongue.

A soft fizziness of oak pulses around the palate that finishes out on that milk chocolate note again. Some lighter notes of honeysuckle and elderflower finish off the end of the taste.
Finish:
The finish is a little flat, certainly when compared to the 15 year old. You want some richness to linger around and stick to your palate for much longer but it does disappear quite quickly. If bottled at a higher strength (I know everyone says this) it could be a solid contender for a great value 18 year old single malt.
Comments:
If you’ve never tried an 18 year old single malt, this isn’t a bad one to start with. It’s soft and easy drinking with some gentle sweetness. It’s very welcoming and comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with that.

When you’ve tried a few different expressions of 18 year old Speyside single malts, this one does begin to fall down the chain quite quicky. Even when compared to their biggest rivals, the Glenlivet 18 year old does a lot more for less money, depending on where you purchase.

Much like my views on the Glenfiddich 12, this expression just needs a little more. It sells well with a mass audience and that’s what a company as big as William Grants need, but for the price that you’re paying you can get a whisky that delivers so much more flavour for the price tag, even less in most cases.

Again, I’m preaching the niche choir here, but an expression of this offered at 46% or above could really bring a lot of consistent big spenders back to Glenfiddich’s door. I would rush out in a heart beat to buy a boozier, more flavourful expression of this.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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