Apart from the Snow Phoenix, it has been at least 5 years since I tried a Glenfiddich. For some reason the brand was my entrance to the world of whisky and after tasting some others than the 12 year old at the last Whisky Festival Noord-Brabant I decided I didn’t really enjoy the whiskies.

Last year I ordered some samples from Master of Malt and they mixed up my Macallan 18 with Glenfiddich 18. Of course, them being the cool guys they are, they corrected the mistake, but let me keep my sample.

Nose:
Very light and gentle, but very fruity with lots of warm apple. Wood, caramel and hints of vanilla and cinnamon. A very, very gentle nose, but very luxurious.

Taste:
The flavour profile is very similar to the nose although it starts of as a bit thin. The 40% ABV is on the low side for an 18 year old. It does build up some flavour, but no burn whatsoever. Apple, sweet pear and I think I’m tasting white oak. It’s probably a blend of sherry and bourbon casks.

Finish:
The finish is reasonably long and very nice. The caramel apple is here as well, but it does become a bit sweeter and more sugary.

This is a very standard single malt, brandwise. Massive distillery, biggest brand, biggest marketing budget or close to it. I expected the whisky to be more bland, more ‘less opposable’ to appeal to more people. It probably does, but it still is a pretty good dram. The whisky is very well constructed and a lot better than it was a few years ago.

I do find ‘Ancient Reserve’ a bit presumtuous, though. 18 is not THAT old.

Glenfiddich 18 Ancient Reserve, 40%, available everywhere but you shouldn’t pay more than € 50.