Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask 19 Year

Wedding gift

good whiskey. good cask. confused result

It’s been a rainy, chilly few days here in central Virginia so it’s the perfect setting for settling down in front of the TV with some whisky. Time to break out a few more samples from my friends in the Scottish Distillery Group and putting in “the work”. First up tonight is this somewhat rare, expensive and well-aged offering from Glenfiddich: 19 Year Old Age of Discovery (Bourbon Cask). This one was supplied by my friend Pranay. She’s a shiny, new penny copper in the glass and smells of fresh cut oak as soon as the liquid began flowing from the sample bottle. It also formed some oily, quick legs when I spin it. The nose is all bourbon: cinnamon and peppery oak spices with a weird, musty smell settling in as I let it breathe well past 15-20 minutes. It wasn’t off-putting, so to speak, it was just odd. It didn’t transfer over into the initial sip so “no harm, no foul” I guess. The palate just delivered more bourbon cask, cinnamon, cut oak and the slightest bit of sweetness. It didn’t hang around long so I didn’t really get a chance to try harder to detect anything specific. The finish was medium length, warm-turning-spicy, but dry. More excellent oak notes hung around on the tongue and it ended up being a nice contrast from the super fruity, sweet scotch I paired this one with. Many thanks to Pranay for supplying this one, as it’s been on my radar for awhile and I just have a hard time plopping down $175+ for a ‘Fiddich. Yeah, I’m THAT snob you’ve read about... 4 stars. What’s next?

Stop number 45 on the SDT is Glenfiddich. At one time this Speyside distillery was the top selling single malt in the world before they were overtaken by Glenlivet. This special release is different from their normal expressions not only in its age, but also the fact that it is exclusively matured in ex bourbon casks. The others are finished in sherry casks. Bottled at 40% ABV and most likely chill filtered and also it most likely has colorant added making it an amber color. The nose is surprisingly strong for only 40%. The ex-bourbon maturation is front and center. Caramel, vanilla, oak. Wood spices like cinnamon and ginger. It is also fruity though. Apples, toasted coconut, banana and red berries. Fairly creamy as well. Buttercream, peaches and cream. Quite a robust nose, warm and inviting. A little brown sugar and just a touch of mint. Some honey and a light floral note. Nice. The arrival on the palate is smooth and like a watered down bourbon, that's not a criticism just an observation. Fruity, apples, apricots and berries. Bitter almonds and walnuts show up. Oak, cinnamon, vanilla and honey. Not quite as complex as I had hoped, but good and easy drinking. Light bodied but mouth coating and a little oily. A medium short finish that is slightly bitter nuts, oak and fairly dry. The bourbon presence is strong here. Tastes more like a bourbon matured in ex bourbon barrels than a scotch in ex bourbon barrels. I was expecting more from a 19 year old, but I'm not disappointed either. Warm and very drinkable, but not worth the premium price of $170. Overall it's pretty good, but nothing all that special. 3.75. A big thanks to Pranay for offering up this expensive bottle for our tour. Cheers