Considering they proclaims themselves as the world’s best selling single malt, it’s kind of surprising that I haven’t had more spaces in my cabinet occupied by the Glenfiddich 12… Especially earlier on in my dramming journey! This is not to say that I haven’t enjoyed my share of this malt at various times. (It is, after all, pretty much guaranteed to be on a bar shelf, even in the absence of any other scotch brands.)
Glenfiddich 12 is bottled at 40% abv. This particular bottle was a Christmas gift from a colleague, so I won’t be posting a price.
To the Eye
Gold – almost honey but not particularly deep or rich looking. You know how, when you swirl a dram, there will often be the suggestion of other tones and streaks of colour? Well there’s none of that here… And it’s kind of bugging me, to be honest!
In the Nose
Hmm, not a lot going on now, either. Softly sweet with some kind of indiscernible fruit at the front. Vanilla and maybe a little bit of oak. Believe me, I tried hard on multiple occasions to tease out more aromas than that, but this is about all I could come up with!
On the Tongue
Oak. It’s unusual for barrel wood to be the first flavour encountered, especially in such a young spirit but, you know what, it’s not an altogether bad thing. This oakiness is soft and clean and, although I can’t believe this was the intended profile, I find it quite nice to enjoy that woody flavour so clearly. Now, if only there was more to this… malty sweetness, a hint of burnt sugar and maybe a touch of orange peel… but that can’t be right, can it? The finish is short, with few pencil shavings sticking around for a fleeting moment before leaving me with nothing but drying, puckering sensation of alcohol.
Final Thoughts
If you read my blog with any regularity, you probably have at least two things about me figured out: first, I enjoy most whiskies – I usually find something to like about the vast majority of drams – and, second, I base my reviews on multiple tastings – usually three or more. So it’s not like I was just having a bad day!
Here’s the lowdown – Glenfiddich 12 tastes NOTHING like what I remember. At no point in any of my tastings did I get any of those over-the-top pear and green grass flavours that I used to associate with this dram. I have no idea what has changed but there’s not much going on in this whisky and, while I was still able to find something redeeming about it, this was one of the least interesting scotch experiences I’ve had in a loooong time!
A Dram or 2 