Glenfiddich 30 Review
SHE SAID: I've often been told that in the case of traditional profiles of a female whisky drinker, I do not "fit". Give me peat, LOTS of peat, smoke, iodine, salt and creosote! I love the look on other women's faces when I start describing my favorite whisky: Talisker 18. It's railway ties - meets my grandfather smoking a pipe with his "liniment" on his bad elbow, sitting on the beach near the bay of Fundy!
Graham knows I dislike Speysides, so it's beyond me why he chose one as our first whisky to review (I asked, he simply giggled - Torturous!) Ok, dislikes is probably harsh. It's the whisky I usually end up being the most disappointed about when it comes to nosing then tasting.
It's a consistent tell tale for me that tips me off nine times out of ten that I've got a Speyside in my glass. The smell of a whisky from this region is always a beautiful explosion of aromas, so intense that it causes my mouth to water with anticipation. There is no coaxing a Speyside to release the delicious elixir. It's there Boom! I take my first sip and then... muted?! The flavor rates a one versus the hundred my nose just experienced.
Don't get me wrong, some of the Speysides taste lovely, but just not like I expected after nosing them. My first vertical tasting seminar I attended was Macallan with Marc Laverdière. By the fifth sample I was utterly disgusted and didn't want to keep going, mind you I don't waste whisky, so I did. All this to say: Although we have many Speysides in our collection, I prefer drinking many other over them. (Except the Balvenies, I do love some of those quite dearly).
So here goes: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old (This was done blind, I had no idea what I was nosing)
Color: Deep amber, almost to the point of crème brûlée. Legs: Thick, slow and quite far apart.
Nose: Neat -> Christmas cake with hints of cloves, ginger and dark brown sugar (rum'ish), rich dried fruit like plums, cherries or figs. Water added -> More honey'ish, still sweet but more like clover, flowers. No longer sugary of very spicy.
Palate: Neat -> Not even close to as sweet it smelled. Very dry mouth feel (sherry) and a bit peppery on the tip of the tongue. Smooth but a bit bitter. Water added -> Now I taste a hit of dark chocolate or coffee, still sweet but less spice like and more like hints of sweet citrus.
Finish: Neat -> Slightly long, lingers beautifully with just a bit of burn at the back of the nasal area. Water added -> Same finish as before but the water removes some of the burn, smoother and the sweet stays with you for a while.
Empty glass: Glorious! Such delightful hints of chocolate, dark dried fruits and so sweet.
Happy Whisky Trails!
Johanne
Graham knows I dislike Speysides, so it's beyond me why he chose one as our first whisky to review (I asked, he simply giggled - Torturous!) Ok, dislikes is probably harsh. It's the whisky I usually end up being the most disappointed about when it comes to nosing then tasting.
It's a consistent tell tale for me that tips me off nine times out of ten that I've got a Speyside in my glass. The smell of a whisky from this region is always a beautiful explosion of aromas, so intense that it causes my mouth to water with anticipation. There is no coaxing a Speyside to release the delicious elixir. It's there Boom! I take my first sip and then... muted?! The flavor rates a one versus the hundred my nose just experienced.
Don't get me wrong, some of the Speysides taste lovely, but just not like I expected after nosing them. My first vertical tasting seminar I attended was Macallan with Marc Laverdière. By the fifth sample I was utterly disgusted and didn't want to keep going, mind you I don't waste whisky, so I did. All this to say: Although we have many Speysides in our collection, I prefer drinking many other over them. (Except the Balvenies, I do love some of those quite dearly).
So here goes: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old (This was done blind, I had no idea what I was nosing)
Color: Deep amber, almost to the point of crème brûlée. Legs: Thick, slow and quite far apart.
Nose: Neat -> Christmas cake with hints of cloves, ginger and dark brown sugar (rum'ish), rich dried fruit like plums, cherries or figs. Water added -> More honey'ish, still sweet but more like clover, flowers. No longer sugary of very spicy.
Palate: Neat -> Not even close to as sweet it smelled. Very dry mouth feel (sherry) and a bit peppery on the tip of the tongue. Smooth but a bit bitter. Water added -> Now I taste a hit of dark chocolate or coffee, still sweet but less spice like and more like hints of sweet citrus.
Finish: Neat -> Slightly long, lingers beautifully with just a bit of burn at the back of the nasal area. Water added -> Same finish as before but the water removes some of the burn, smoother and the sweet stays with you for a while.
Empty glass: Glorious! Such delightful hints of chocolate, dark dried fruits and so sweet.
Happy Whisky Trails!
Johanne
