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NB: This item has been misprinted on the gift tin and is barely legible along with a minor dent on the rear. The bottle is in excellent condition.

Reportedly set to become a permanent fixture of the Glenfiddich stable is this beer cask-finished malt. Glenfiddich IPA Experiment is a no-age-statement whisky that's been finished for three months in casks previously used to brew a bespoke IPA created by the Speyside Craft Brewery in Forres. The ale employed British Challenger hops for added fruitiness, which were deemed an appropriate complement Glenfiddich's existing fruity character.

Glenfiddich Master of Malts, Brian Kinsman comments, "The result is a liquid with a zesty citrus note followed by soft, sweet vanilla and a hint of fresh hops. The innovative flavour comes from carefully hand-selecting the right malt whiskies to complement the extra hoppy notes."

The whisky was made in collaboration with Seb Jones, an entrepreneurial Speyside brewer. Super limited.

NB: This item has a small tear to the foil seal surrounding the bottle cap, the seal is otherwise intact and unopened.

After maturation in first fill Bourbon casks for seven years, this whisky was finished for 18 months in barrels that held red wine from Tuscany’s famed Sassicaia vineyard (Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). Distilled 2006 and bottled April 2015.
Expect flavours of red summer fruits, milk chocolate and a subtle smokiness. 45% Alc./Vol.

Tasting note: Pale gold with an almost indiscernible salmon pink blush. Captivating bouquet offers an amalgam of new leather, earthy peat, dried cranberry? Second pass finds the peaty aspect slightly subdued with hints of moist fruit cake to the fore. Soft entry builds to a succulent, peaty mid palate where sweet smoke combines with some juicy barley moments to finish. Distinctive. Seems to have upped the smoke from previous releases. 45% Alc./Vol.

NB: This item has a cut to the top of the box, it is only noticeable from above.

Spurred by the success of his original distillery venture, Glenfiddich, William Grant set about expanding his business empire with the purchase of Balvenie New House in 1892. The Balvenie distillery has now been owned and managed by William Grant and Sons as a staunchly independent and family owned operation for over five generations. Nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, still malts in its own traditional floor maltings and still employs coopers to tend the casks and a coppersmith to maintain the stills (although some would argue this is all solely show for the tourist value it offers). Regardless, successive generations of skill on the malting floor, in the tun room and the still house, in the cooperage and the warehouses do seem to have preserved a consistency and remarkably high quality of The Balvenie down the years.

It's been over a decade since we've revisited the Balvenie range. From the 12 Year Old, right up to the venerable 30 year old expression, the house style emerges as one of the lightest and most delicate to be found from Speyside with almost no peat evident. Following the success of the limited edition Port Wood 1989, David Stewart, Balvenie's Malt Master has continued to select a number of traditional whisky casks of Balvenie considered perfect for further maturation in Port Pipes. It is for many critics and drinkers the quintessential Balvenie expression, winning numerous Gold Medals and the trophy for Best Whisky in Class at the 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Tasting note: Bright gold appearance. A gorgeous, lifted bouquet features a cherry-chocolate top note over deeper scents of vanilla and oak. Cherry-chocolate remains the signature note even after extended exposure. Like the 15 Year Old, this is a light to medium bodied, seamlessly integrated Speyside dram, with a graceful mouthfeel. The Port Wood adds suggestions of dark chocolate and hints of marzipan. Spices pulse delicately at the finish before the drying cocoa aftertaste. A wood finish executed with a soft touch. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews…. The Balvenie Aged 21 Years Port Wood (88.5) t22 Salivating and on the money malt wise with the juicy chewiness a lot fresher than the nose would have you believe; f22.5 busy, multi layered with some lovely praline amid the soft grape; b22 beautiful subtle malt… Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2011

A blend of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre. Totally opaque dark red black colour with a dark red hue. Elevated black raspberry and black cherry aromas combine with some liquorice, subtle incense infusions and spicy scorched earth. The full bodied palate is loaded with juicy black raspberry and liquorice flavours with spicy scorched earth and incense infusions finishing with a burst of blackpepper. A sturdy tannin structure provides some grip for the opulent fruit to hang on to. There’s a sense of chewiness to the mouthfeel with a long pepper infused aftertaste of black raspberries, liquorice, subtle scorched earth and spicy incense.
Cellar 4-5 years.
Alc 14.5%

Totally opaque black dark red colour with a deep bright dark red hue. Fragrant blackcurrant aromas laced with a hint of liquorice are followed by black olives, subtle cigar box and spicy tobacco. Medium to full bodied rich blackcurrant, black cherry and liquorice flavours fill the mouth under pinned by subtle nuances of cigar box, black olive and spice. Finely grained yet very structured tannins firm up the finish. Long aftertaste of blackcurrant, black cherries, liquorice, smoky vanillin cedar, black olives and spice.
Cellar 6-8 years.
Alc 13.8%

Other Reviews….
Taut, powerful, lengthy and exquisitely well polished. This doesn't put a foot wrong, and (given appropriate storage) won't do for many a decade to come. You can bank on this wine. It tastes of bay leaves, blackcurrant, cocoa and (subtle) tobacco, and feels strong and secure at every turn. It's the kind of anvil cellar collections can be built on. Drink by 2040.
97 points
Campbell Mattinson – James Halliday’s Wine Companion

Totally opaque black dark red colour with a deep dark red hue. The nose displays good intensity with ripe black cherry, liquorice and dark plum aromas prevalent over lightly smoked vanillin oak and hints of spicy fennel. Rich and full the palate is filled with ripe black cherry and liquorice flavours which dominate over nuances of dark plum, toasty vanillin oak and spice. Opulent mouthfeel with finely grained yet sturdy tannin structure imparting a slight chewiness on the finish. Medium to long ripe black cherry, liquorice, toasty vanillin oak, scorched earth and spice aftertaste.
Cellar 4-5 years.
Alc 14.5%

Semi translucent dark red colour with a light brick red hue. Elevated aromas of dark cherries tinged with a hint of sour cherries intermix with some dried herb infusions, dried meats and spicy cedar. Light to medium bodied with dark and sour cherries combining with dried herb infusions, stalky cedar and spice. Finishes with fresh acidity and fine grained tannins. Aftertaste of dark and sour cherries, dried herbs, stalk and spicy cedar. A very herby style of Pinot.
Cellar 3-4 years.
Alc 13%

Matured in French oak for up to 15 months. Totally opaque black dark red colour with a dark red hue. Lifted aromas of blackcurrant infused with black olive merge into some cigar box, earth and spice. Medium to full bodied the palate possesses an abundance of rich blackcurrant fruit that intermixes with a touch of liquorice followed by nuances of cigar box, earth and spicy bay leaf. Structured fine grained tannins provide a firm support base for the fruit. Long aftertaste of ripe blackcurrant, some liquorice, subtle cigar box, earthy black olives and spicy bay leaf.
Cellar 5-6 years.
Alc 14%

Brilliant pale straw colour with a watery hue. Pronounced aromas of passionfruit and gooseberry overlay citrus and some grassy end notes. Refreshing ripe gooseberry, passionfruit and citrus flavours sit over an undercard of herbaceous grassy characters. Dry crisp finish. Aftertaste of gooseberries, passionfruit, citrus and herbaceous grassy infusions.
Drink now.
Alc 13%

Vibrant dark purple black tinged core with a bright purple hue. Freshly crushed red berry aromas intermix with incense infusions, a hint of scorched earth and spicy pepper notes. Crunchy red and dark cherry flavours infused with incense are followed by a touch of liquorice, scorched earth and pepper. Finishes with fresh acidity, refined although faintly chalky tannins and an aftertaste of freshly crushed cherries, incense infusions, subtle liquorice, scorched earth and pepper.
Cellar 3-4 years.
Alc 14%