Tastes

Glenfiddich 15 is one of the cheaper 15 year scotches currently available, but don’t let the affordability factor turn you away from buying it. It has a sweet nose that offers a nice blend of summer fruits. The palate follows the nose but adds dark fruits and some mild spices. The finish is quite short for a 15 year scotch, which is probably my only criticism, but the sweet fruits and mixed spices and honey are just so wonderfully balanced that I forgive the lack of finish. I’m not normally a huge fan of adding water to low ABV whiskies (in this case 40%), but a few drops really does help the fruit notes with hints of nectarines and peaches coming through. Some reviewers have mentioned a hint of smoke but I can’t find any. I think I paid $60 for this whisky last year. It’s probably gone up a bit recently, but if you can get this for less than $75 buy it.

This is my second bottle of this whisky. I enjoyed the first one so much I just had to get another. I shared this in a blind tasting with a couple of my whisky club friends. They all agreed it punched well above it’s price point of $45 where I live. The nose is sweet with fruit (apples and pears) and a hint of soft toffee in the background. i say toffee but some people might think it’s more of a caramel or honey? The palate is soft and rounded. It starts sweet with some fruits notes up front but quickly transitions to spices, nuts and a touch of bitterness (citrus) that leaves a pleasant tongue tingle. The finish is medium in length with a malty/fruity-ness that fades away with spice notes and a tad more of the bitterness. Don’t judge this whisky by the neck pour as it really improves as the level drops. At 43% you can add a dash of water if you want to open it up a little, but water tones down the spices too much for my palate, so I prefer to drink neat and keep the tongue tingle. The packaging mentions Sherry casks, but it’s no Sherry-bomb, so don’t buy this thinking you are getting a cheap Macallan alternative. The fruits are there but in the background. All in all, it’s a well-balanced whisky that’s priced right.

This is the previous version that carries a 12 year age statement. I bought it in 2017 but only recently opened it. Before I start I should confess that I’m a big fan of Glenmorangie ‘finished’ expressions. The Lasanta and Quinta Ruban are both worth a slot in anyone’s cabinet, and this whisky is even better than those — although it’s also the most expensive of the three. The nose is simply amazing for a 12 year scotch. So rich and bold with sweet fruits and honey. The palate is sweet on arrival with Christmas cake, dried fruits and toffee that slowly fades away with spice notes, fresh-baked ginger cookies, and chocolate orange. The spices on the finish do balance the sweet arrival some what, but this is a very sweet whisky. This might be a little too sweet for some, but it makes for an excellent after-dinner dram. And at around $75 it’s good value, too.

One of my favorite budget bourbons. It’s not for everyone; especially not for people who like the punch of spice that high-rye bourbons provide. The nose is fairly basic with sweet fruits. The palate is also sweet with hints of vanilla, toffee, toasted nuts and a touch of cinnamon on the finish. Drink it neat or with ice. At this price point it’s good value and worth adding to your cabinet.

The sweet nose offers pleasing red fruits combined with a hint of toffee/caramel. The palate is very rounded and follows the nose but adds some dark fruits mixed with some spices that balance the sweetness. The finish is medium length with more spices and hints of burnt toffee (like toffee apple) as it fades away. It coats the mouth nicely and leaves you wanting another sip. I tried it with water, but it’s already very smooth and easy to drink, and the water doesn’t really do much for my palate. I bought two bottles for $34 each a couple of years ago when my liquor store was having a clear out sale. At that price it’s a great value and worth buying, but at its current price of around $60 to $70 I’m not so sure.

I’ve been waiting for a few months for my local liquor store to get this in as one of their store picks. It came in a week or so ago, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The nose offers some light fruity/flowery notes. The palate is very smooth with summer fruits, some honey/toffee, and cream, that coats the tongue and provides a nice mouth feel and tongue tingle. For a non-age-statement scotch the finish is better than you might expect. It lingers for a while then fades away with notes of honey, sherbet lemon, spices, and malted cookies. It can take a little water, but I really like the tongue tingle, so have been drinking neat. At $36 this punches well above its weight, and I will definitely buy another bottle. Great summer scotch.

Many whisky drinkers will point to this as their launching point into scotch, which is fair enough as I too started my journey with Glenmorangie 10 along with Glenfiddich 12 and Johnnie Walker Black Label. But it wasn’t until i revisited Glenmorangie 10 many years later that I truly appreciated what a wonderful scotch this is. Many people will say that it’s just an easy sipping dram that offers light fruity notes, but the more time you spend with it you really get to appreciate what a wonderful whisky this is.

My friend recently bought a bottle of this for me while he was traveling abroad. I was really expecting a lot from this whisky given it’s age. While it’s not terrible, it’s just too soft and mediocre. It has a thin mouthfeel, and it’s too cereal/grainy on the palate which is followed by a very quick finish. Being an easy drinking and inoffensive whisky is not what a 16 year scotch should offer. Yes, scotch newbies will find it fairly smooth, but most newbies don’t go for 16 year expressions. Experienced whisky drinkers will find it dull and lifeless. I gave this a score of 3 stars and won’t be looking to get another bottle. UPDATE: 06/08/2020 I may have been a little hasty with my review of this scotch. Having spent a bit of time with this and the bottle now approaching 2/3rds, I’m finding the neck pour wasn’t very representative of what this whisky has to offer. The palate now offers a nice blend of soft fruits and caramel that finishes with a hint of malt, sweet toffee and ripe strawberries/cherries. The finish is still a little short for what I would expect from a 16 year scotch , but overall it’s starting to grow on me, and therefore I have adjusted my score accordingly. I also tried adding some water, but I don’t recommend that as it weakens an already thin mouthfeel and doesn’t improve the experience.

Bought this a few years ago while on sale at my local liquor store and stuck at the back of my cabinet. Finally opened it a few weeks ago. The first pour wasn’t that good and I felt a little let down by it, but a few drams later as the level dropped provided a better evaluation and revealed its true character. Sweet honey with a hint of orange on the nose. More of the same on the palate but mixed with some fruits, malt, nutty flavors, and a whiff of smoke. The finish is medium in length with some spices and toffee coming through. Bottled at 46% ABV, it certainly can take some water which tones down the tongue tingle and opens up the sweet fruity notes at little, but it’s really not that hot, and I enjoy the higher ABV and the tongue tingle. Probably not for someone fairly new to scotch as it’s quite complex. It’s a little pricey for people who prefer to shop in the sub-$60 range, but if you are happy to buy scotches in the $70 to $80 range then this is a must try.

One of the best bang-for-the-buck scotches available. It’s not overly complex and the finish is on the short side, but anyone looking for a daily sipper at a bargain price should grab a bottle. Light, sweet fruits on the nose. Zesty (lemon and a hint of grapefruit?) on the palate with malt and honey notes on the finish. At around $30 it’s a steal.