Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Note: New blue packaging, not old brown packaging.

While the twelve year old is a relatively non-descript malt, older Glenfiddich bottlings are now gaining high praise including one award as the world's best single malt Scotch whisky. However, as a representation of the house style, the 18 year old pretty much nails it. Always a centre-piece of the portfolio, the company has further emphasised its place by redesigning the packaging to give it a more superior look than its 12- and 15-year-old stablemates. Aged in a mixture of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks followed by a final spell of marrying in wooden tuns, the moderate aromas of distant smoke, honey, clove and vanilla-laced malt echo on the palate alongside hints of dried apricots and spice, augmented by the softest peat. Plush and silky with more dried fruit and spice to finish, it's is a clear step up from the 12yo - both richer and rounder while remaining in the mainstream of sherry influenced malts. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... the smoke which for long marked this aroma, appears to have vanished...one of the most complex deliveries Speyside can conjure....long, despite the miserly 40% offered, with plenty of banana custard and a touch of pear; at the moment, the ace in the Glenfiddich pack. If this was bottled at 46%, unchillfiltered etc, I dread to think what the score might be. 95 points- Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2016

Luxe and easy-sipping. Look for enticing notes of butterscotch, baked pear, cinnamon and clove on the nose and palate, swathed in just the right amount of smokiness. 96 points - wineenthusiast.com

...Dried fruits, dark chocolate, figs, and cinnamon on the nose. The palate yields rich caramel and toffee-apple notes, plus ginger, cloves, and medium sherry. More dried fruits, cookies, and a sprinkling of allspice in the slightly smoky, medium to long finish. 88 points - whiskyadvocate.com