Scott_E
Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
December 6, 2016 (edited September 24, 2018)
I have not opened anything new as I have a bit of a backlog of open whisk(e)y's that I am want to work through. But tonight I was in the mood for something new. I have been given a sample three pack of the 12, 15, and 18 Glenfiddich and, bouncing between the (woeful) Jets/Colts game and 007/Spectre, I had a go with the 15 year old. My previous, brief and experience with the 12 year left me unimpressed and has dampened my view of Glenfiddich. However, this 15 year was quite a surprise and not what I expected.
Some time in the glass, pears/apples, coconut, dark nuts, honey, vanilla/brown sugar waft around when nosing. Quite a bit of aromas. A sip is soft and light that reveals the sherry notes: walnuts, figs, cloves, cinnamon along with the sweeter bourbon flavors of vanilla and honey. The finish is short and drying of oak with ginger and chocolate with remnants of the sherry and bourbon influences.
This is quite an enjoyable, easy, uncomplicated, straight-forward whisky. Sweetens with time. Straight up, a whisky that is clearly influenced by the sherry and bourbon barrels. Each profile is discernable, and yet, well balanced. Better than I expected given my previous experience with the 12 year. [Dry Glass: Maple Syrup and confectionery sugar][86/100][Tasted: 12/5/16]
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I would think there's a reason for some brands not to use solera...they probably want the batch differences so folks buy year over year.
I assume it was massive. The process makes sense from a consistency perspective. I wonder (outside of marketing reasons) distillers do not employ this process. I would assume time and money are the main reasons.
I've seen the actual Solera vats in the Glenfiddich distillery, and it's quite a sight. Indeed, it's a different type of "marriage" that ensures a natural sort of consistency (instead of trying to achieve it artificially by taste).
Aaah---so not a marketing scheme, but an actual process to minimize variation.
@Pranay: Referring to revkev12's comment, this whisky is at least 15 years old. However, since the Solera vat is never emptied entirely, it also contains much older whisky. You have this Solera vat, use 50% for bottling of Glenfiddich 15, keep the other 50% in the vat. Then you add 'new' 15-years-matured malt, marry the two halfs for a certain time and start the next round of bottlings. This methods makes it much easier to avoid batch variations.
I realized in reading these comments that I didn't know how their solera system works. This is directly copy-and-pasted from Glenfiddich's website: "Aged in European oak sherry casks and new oak casks, the whisky is mellowed in our unique Solera Vat, a large oak tun inspired by the sherry bodegas of Spain and Portugal. Never emptied, and kept half full of whiskies since 1998, our Solera Vat is the culmination of curious minds and the pioneering spirit of our family." And now we know, I guess.
I understand the concept (I think), however, in regards to this whisky, I think it's a bit a marketing. Did it just trickle through a solera system and get bottled versus aging in the system? Unless I really don't know, and if not, please educate me, anyone.
I don't understand the concept of solera aged...seems like the "oldest" component is 15 years old? Sounds like a marketing scheme...
So far I agree. I have the 18 which is I need to sample.
In my opinion, the 15-year-old Solera is the best of Glenfiddich's range. Still not spectacular, but certainly good enough to buy a bottle.