Today I tried the Glenfiddich 12 year old which I picked up as part of a Glenfiddich sampler set at my local liquor emporium here in town.
Aged in American and Spanish oak casks for a minimum of 12 years this single malt has won a multitude of awards which can be seen here at the Glenfiddich site where they describe this particular scotch as having hints of oak, pear, butterscotch, cream, and malt all coming from one of the few remaining family owned distilleries in the Speyside region. So lets see what my newly born nose and taste buds think of this well renowned scotch.
Nose: Caramel, maple syrup, and a powerful but sneaky sense of apples yet I can’t seem to nail down the apple variety it reminds me of, sliding back and forth between Granny Smith and Red Delicious with little hints of a fresh ripe crab apple. The maple really hangs in there and revisits a lot throughout the experience.
Palate: Cereals, tabasco, and a little dry but with a lot of oak, I found the taste to be complex enough that it was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that was hitting, oak seemed to overpower a lot of the other flavors at different points yet I think I will have to revisit this one once my senses have been matured through other tastings.
Finish: Medium to long and lingering but not with too much power, it’s finish is one of my favorite yet and I can see it going very well with a dark chocolate (which I enjoyed with some Glen Rothes Select Reserve just the other day).
Overall: 5 out of 10
The Wooden Age 