I had the good fortune of attending the Spirit of Speyside festival this year and naturally went to Glenfiddich. Among several awesome experience I got to bottle my own 15 year cask strength NCF bottle.
Glenfiddich 15 Cask Strength
Age: 15 years
Abv: 117.8 proof
Color: A medium gold
Price: 120 GBP
Neat
Nose: Soft and sweet with rich honey and sherry notes.
Taste: An amazing mouthfeel that viscous and velvety with strong notes of sherry, honey, oak and malted grain.
Finish: Medium length finish with warm honey, a bit grain and a little spice.
Conclusion
This was another delicious whisky from Glenfiddich and continues to highlight how much we are missing out on cask strength releases from them here in the states. I actually asked Ian Miller, the semi retired distillery manager, about the possibility of getting more cask strength releases in the US but he wasn’t super forthcoming and I don’t have a lot of hope.
I loved the mouthfeel and nose on this one and was especially surprised by how easy it was drink given the proof. I tried the standard 80 proof 15 year after this and it was night and day different. All these cask strength single malts are ruining me for the cut down 80-86 proofers. On the other hand compared to this year’s festival bottle, a 15 year Port Pipe matured 117 proof monster, this was noticeably less sweet but had a better mouthfeel and was more complex with the spice and oak notes. It was also 80 GBP cheaper so there’s that.
If anyone can suggest a cask strength Speyside we can get in the States please let me know!
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle