Glenfiddich®

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Written by Brian Donnelly, CSS, WSET III

Parent Company: William Grant & Sons

Distillery Location: Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland

Established: 1887

Malt Master: Brian Kinsman (6th Generation)

Stillman: George Garrick

Head Cooper: Ian McDonald

Warehouseman: Mike Dawson

Fun Fact: Glenfiddich® was the first Scotch distillery to promote single malt outside of Scotland, creating the category overseas in 1963. The brand is currently sold in over 187 countries, and one of of every five bottles of single malt scotch exported from Scotland has a Glenfiddich® label on it.

Glenfiddich® “The Valley of the Deer”

History

William Grant started his working life tending cattle in the mid-19th century at the age of seven. When he reached his mid-20s, a bookkeeping job at a local distillery changed his life and the lives of his family forever. Over the next 20 years, he harbored a dream to build his own distillery. The chance to turn that dream into reality came a few years short of his 50th birthday. By then, he and his family of nine had saved enough money to buy a piece of land in the glen of the river Fiddich. There they began to build their distillery, stone by stone, with their own bare hands. The first spirit flowed from the stills on Christmas Day of 1887. More than 125 years later, the distillery is run by the 5th generation of the William Grant family.

Water

Natural Scottish spring water from the Robbie Dhu Spring throughout its entire production process Glenfiddich® is one of two Highland distilleries (the other being Balvenie®) that use the same water source from start to finish, through mashing, fermentation, distillation, and bottling. We use the Robbie Dhu Springs to dilute down to bottling proof, while other distilleries use water supplied by the bottling factories. Glenfiddich® pioneered the single malt category around 1963 and brought single malt to the world.

Glenfiddich® 12 Year Old – Signature Malt

Matured in both American (Ex-Bourbon) oak (85%) and European (Ex-Sherry) oak (15%) for a minimum of 12 years.

80 Proof (40% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 14 Year Old – Bourbon Barrel Reserve

Matured in used American (Ex-Bourbon) barrels for a minimum of 14 years, and then finished in new charred American oak barrels. This line extension is produced exclusively for the United States, certified Kosher, and pays tribute to American whiskey’s contribution to single malt Scotch and the American oak bourbon barrels that have shaped the flavor of Scotch whisky for generations. Certified Kosher.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 15 Year Old – Unique Solera Reserve

Matured in 3 different types of oak: Virgin American Oak, American (Ex-Bourbon) oak, and European (Ex-Sherry) oak for a minimum of 15 years. These three casks are married together in the unique Solera Vat that the distillery has used since 1998, and it has never been more than half emptied since.

80 Proof (40% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 18 Year Old – Small Batch Reserve

Matured in both American (Ex-Bourbon) oak (80%) and European (Ex-Sherry) oak (20%) for a minimum of 18 years. Small batches of no more than 150 casks, married at least three months.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 21 Year Old – Reserva Rum Cask

Matured in both American (Ex-Bourbon) oak and European (Ex-Sherry) oak for a minimum of 21 years. Finally, the whiskey is casked finished in Caribbean “Gran Reserva” Rum barrels for around 4 months.

80 Proof (40% ABV)

Glenfiddich® Grand Cru

Matured 23 years in American and European oak casks; every drop of Grand Cru then spends an additional 6 months in fine French cuvée oak casks. French cuvée casks are casks that have been used by Champagne producers for the first fermentation of the wine that eventually becomes Champagne after a second fermentation in bottle. The wine these casks previously held impart flavors into the oak, which are then subtly imparted into the flavors of the whisky.

80 Proof (40% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 26 Year Old – Excellence

Matured exclusively in American (Ex-Bourbon) oak for 26 years.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 30 Year Old

Matured in Ex-Oloroso Sherry and Ex-Bourbon oak for 30 years. For three decades, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master Brian Kinamn, has personally tended to each individual cask, ensuring it lives up to his exacting standards.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

Glenfiddich® 40 Year Old

Some of the most precious whisky ever released in the Glenfiddich crown. Whiskies are hand selected from European oak, Sherry, and Bourbon casks. Each release is married with previous 40 year old vattings that are rich and deep in flavor.

ABV Varies Each Year

Glenfiddich® 50 Year Old

Only 50 bottles of this single malt Scotch whisky are released each year, making it a rare, sought-after and historic variant.

92.2 Proof (46.1% ABV)

Experimental Series 

Glenfiddich® India Pale Ale Cask

The first single malt finished in India Pale Ale (IPA) craft beer casks. To craft India Pale Ale cask, we partnered with a Speyside craft microbrewer to brew the perfect with which to season our American oak casks. Brewed in the bespoke craft barrels.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

Glenfiddich® Project XX

The Experimental Series’ second release, Project XX was created when 20 whisky experts from 16 countries around the world were invited to the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland and given complete freedom to explore the warehouse and choose any single cask of Glenfiddich that intrigued them the most. After each expert chose a single cask of extraordinary liquid, from aged malts matured in port pipes to ancient sherry butts and first-fill bourbon casks, Malt Master Brian Kinsman then was challenged to marry the 20 unique casks into one singular malt. This is whisky is non-chill filtered.

94 Proof (47% ABV)

Glenfiddich® Fire & Cane

A marriage of peated and non-peated whiskies that have been finished in sweet Latin rum casks.

86 Proof (43% ABV)

The contents, statements, and thoughts expressed on this site are purely my own and do not officially represent the opinions of any supplier, brand, or distillery. All brand names are the official copy right of their respective parent company, and I do not own the right to any of the included brands on this website. Any mistakes made on this website are purely my own.

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