Glenfiddich is a distillery to which we owe a small debt of gratitude, given that years ago it was a Glenfiddich 12 yo that made us discover the great art of tasting. A little tipsy, drooling over the youngest of the range, we found a correspondence between our senses and what was written on the label (“vanilla and pear, incredible!”), and there, right there, we saw the light. Today we taste the official 18 years old, mindful of the goodness of Valinch & Mallet’s recently drunk independent Glenfiddich.
N: very open, very sweet. The nose is a candy stand at the market: hyper-sweet and seductive. Vanilla and almond paste; milk chocolate and very ripe pears. We haven’t said “confetti” for a long time, but here you can’t be silent: so, “confetti”. Rather flat, but not unpleasant.
P: here the age is perhaps a little bit more evident, with some oaky notes (just of wood) quite clear, at least at the beginning. To tell the truth, you taste a bit too much alcohol. Then it opens a lot and reminds of a vanilla pudding, still sugared almonds, still pear. Hazelnut and hazelnut cream.
F: do you know Big Babol cream and cocoa chewing gums from the ‘80s? If so, you had a though childhood, like us, and that’s okay. More vanilla and coconut.
Honestly, it seems a bit disappointing, especially on the palate: the nose is still simple and easy, but full, while the other two phases collapse under the axe of alcohol and a very resigned personality. We had tasted the 18 yo six years ago, and at the time we liked it very much because it denied that Glenfiddich paradigm (nose ok, palate revisable): this is definitely a step backwards. 81/100.
Recommended soundtrack: The Savatage – Blackjac guillotine.
