Appearance
Slightly darker than than light lemon yellow in colour, and the swirl line on my Copita glass is nice and thick with several very slow thin legs.
Nose
The nose is surprisingly agreeable for the abv, and on nosing it for the first time i’m getting golden syrup with cream soda, and it’s coming across a little spicy too. The perfume/floral notes that iv’e had with the lower ABV bottlings are here, and they’re so nicely married, and they are joined with a botanical and linseed oil aroma.
With more time i’m sure i’m getting red liquorice, faint strawberries, royal icing, and if waiting even longer milky chocolate and cask char come through.
Adding a small amount of water brings out evergreen boughs and pine freshness.
Palate
The mouthfeel is quite nice, it thickens with time, and the spices that the nose teased are here by the bucketful. Sweet lemon jellies and bitter lemon surge forward, white pepper, cardamom, with grapefruit zest, and the ABV is wonderful.
More time brings some drying, cranberries, mocha coffee, coffee beans, and chocolate dipped slightly unripe strawberries. There’s lots of vanilla too, like vanilla pastries, and it stays spicy throughout the whole experience.
It takes a drop of water well, and that water makes the dram fruitier, with more strawberries, cocktail cherries, pomello and dark plums.
Finish
The finish is long side of medium in length, and still spicy, though i’m thinking espresso, dunnage and cigar leaves with figs accompanying.
My thoughts
A big thank you goes out to Jason for this sample, a totally naked single cask Glenfiddich, wow, and as an old school whisk(e)y drinker i have to say it’s an absolute privilege to try this.
There are elements of the younger standard distillery offering in this bottle, but it’s also so much more, more strength, more flavour, lovely spices, and lots of them, diving into darker spicy flavours.
Can you tell that iv’e enjoyed this whisky? I really have, and if anyone reading this gets a chance to try a single cask Glenfiddich do give it a go, it could be so much more than you expect, this one is, and jeez, there’s absolutely no doubt that i’d love a bottle of this in my whisky cupboard.
A big thank you goes out to Jason – @jason85388511, a whisky friend over on Twitter, for this super sample. Please do give Jason along with us a follow on Twitter using the buttons below.
Bottle image courtesy of Whiskyhammer.com
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