LeeEvolved
Reviewed
February 6, 2017 (edited January 18, 2020)
I've had this bottle open for a few weeks and have slowly been pulling drams from it on nights before or after I tried new stuff. I would take an extra pull when I craved that "one more dram" before finishing up. This was what I reached for, I just never got around to a proper review. So, after a bit of a delay and over half the bottle gone, here we go...
This Glenfiddich 15 is the Solera Reserve and not the normal 15 year old. This employs a solera tun at the distillery which, if I'm grasping the concept properly, takes the normally aged juice and finishes it in this special "never fully emptied" vat. As the fresh whisky is added at the top, it slowly flows down through several casks, mixing with leftover and constantly aging product until reaching the lower racks, where it is eventually bottled. Since the solera tun is never fully emptied it mixes fresher whisky with older whisky. Scotch labeling laws prevent GF from marketing as older stuff, but there's definitely older stock in the tun. This is either a marketing gimmick for a "special release" or a way for GF to slowly blend in younger whisky that mixes with the older stuff to make a more stable flavor profile for the brand as a whole. That's kind of neat, I guess.
It's a beautiful new penny copper color in the glass, slick and oily with a very muted nose. Toffee and vanilla with a bit of toasted nuttiness, but not very lively. On the tongue it's a sweet caramel and vanilla with lightly spiced oak cask. It's incredibly smooth, albeit dull. The finish is a bit hot for just 80 proof, but still smooth and actually lingers for a good bit of time. That's the best part of this one IMO. The finish makes it a fulfilling dram as an after dinner aperitif in place of a rich or slightly heavy dessert.
I'm also assuming this process will slowly be utilized with younger and younger whisky as a way to make it taste more and more like it's older siblings. I guess eventually there will be a 12 year solera offering while sneaking the price upwards claiming it's another special release. Very sneaky, GF. As is, this bottle was $60 on the shelf here in Virginia. It's tasty, I'm just not sure it's worth the slightly elevated price tag. Your mileage may vary, though. Cheers, my friends.