I had a few folks recommend the Glenfiddich Fire and Cane to me and my favorite shop had it is stock so I figured it was time to give it a taste and write a little review. This is the 4th bottling in their new Experimental series and the second of the series that I have had(The IPA cask finish was different but delightful). It’s a combination of peated and non peated single malts aged in bourbon barrels. The idea is to give a bit of that smokiness that Islay scotches are known for to the smooth sweetness of a Speyside.
Review
Age: NAS
Abv: 86 proof
Color: A lighter almost pale gold
Price: $47.99
Neat
Nose: Smoky with notes of citrus and floral honey
Taste: Much smokier than the nose with toffee notes and an almost buttery mouthfeel
Finish: Shorter than I would have liked but not too short with further smokiness and note of the citrus and floral honey from the nose
On a rock
Nose: Very muted compared to the neat nose with faint but sweet notes
Taste: The smokiness cuts through the ice and the mouthfeel is excellent but the sweet notes are mostly drowned out
Finish: Just a hint of toffee amidst the smokey finish
Conclusion
This was a tough one to rate for me. I enjoyed it neat but it didn’t stand up to ice so it’d primarily be a fall and winter whiskey for me down here in Texas. The smokiness was nice as was the sweetness but I was almost left wanting more of either flavor. That said the whiskies I’d prefer, Glenfiddich 18 if you like the smooth and sweet or Lagavulin 16 for the smoke, are both ~$100/bottle so this is hard to beat for scotch in its price range.
7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar
Scale
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