Glenfiddich 14 Year Bourbon Barrel Reserve

Wow, this has character! The regular Glenfiddich 12 is quite good, but this blows it out of the water. Spice is the immediate flavor, though some banana and toffee quickly come in to mellow it out. Nutmeg is present too a surprising degree and some clove and allspice round it out. If you were ever looking for a fruitcake Scotch, this is it. The flavor is proudly sweet and is quite delicious. There is some standard Scotch tartness from the alcohol, but it is in no way overwhelming. This drink is quite creamy and mostly smooth. It reminds me of Spice Tree crossed with Glenfarclas 25. The Spice Tree is most assuredly spicier with more of an alcohol presence. The Spice Tree is a wonderful drink, but the difference between it and the Glenfiddich 14 seems comparable to the difference between Bushmill's Black Bush and Glenfiddich 12 at first taste. On second tasting, they seem for equivalent, but of different opinions when it comes to how a scotch should taste. In that regard, the Glenfiddich 14 falls into the Glenmorangie 18 camp of prioritizing richness. This is just Compass Box Spice Tree but creamier and with a bit less depth to its flavor. This is a great drink, but it lacks the variety of Highland Park 18. There is a lot going on here and it is rich and very enjoyable without being especially creamy. This drink would be better with some more depth, but it's delicious as is and is astonishingly good for the price. It's less varied than Compass Box Spice Tree, but it has the necessary depth. It's sweet and rummy with honey, spices, molasses, some wood, smoke, and vanilla. It's bourbony, creamy, and surprisingly smooth given them cinnamon flavor. It's very good, but would be better if stronger and aged longer. I'd love to try this at 21 years with a mix of bourbon and Sherry casks. The flavor is a bit weak and young with mineral elements, but the spices help to cover up the shortcomings. There is a lot of complexity and the standard alcohol notes aren't too strong. It would be really good if it were a bit older. It's a great choice at the price and is very sippable. It's a heck of a lot better than Glenmorangie The Original and is closer in quality to Compass Box Spice Tree. It hides the alcohol a heck of a lot better than most young whiskies and avoids those gross, bitter flavors. Compared with Springbank 10, the flavor is a little less complex and a lot less assertive, but arguably more balanced (at least when drinking it immediately prior to Springbank 10). This is hedonism. It's mellow despite its cinnamon flavor. There's some nice toffee in here that makes the mild smoke rich and sweet. There isn't much in the way of fruit or floral notes. The tartness is mild but the vanilla is definitely there. The salty nature really sells the toffee. None of the notes are off and there are some quite good flavors here. This is a pleasure to drink and the price is unbelievable. It needs more complexity and a couple of killer flavors, but as a sugary single malt for winter sipping, this is excellent. The nose is beautiful with fruit (mainly apple and apricot), floral, and spice notes. The palate is a bit less pristine with lots of apricot blossoms, some cinnamon, and a large dose of vanilla mixed with sea spray, minerals, and some smoke. It's kind of more like Irish whiskey mixed with bourbon. It's a delight to drink, but it pales in comparison to some more robust scotches and high quality Bourbons like Blanton's.

vanilla nise; spice, clove, orange, a bit of black licorice

Very sweet taste with notes of toffee and vanilla.