Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition
February 2016

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition

Imported into Australia exclusively for the Club, the Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition is a rare cask strength edition of the world’s most popular single malt.

United Kingdom

Colour Deep gold autumn barley

Nose A delicate floral and creamy aroma with hints of freshly ground black pepper. With a little water, the fruity and vanilla sweetness of Glenfiddich is released

Palate At full strength the smooth, warming flavour is centred around a delicious creamy spiciness. After adding a little water, the softer vanilla and gentle luscious fruit flavours come through

Finish Lingering, sweet and velvety warm

Food Match The higher ABV gives this whisky a spicy character that complements everything from a juicy steak to a hot, spicy Oriental dish. So go on, experiment and let us know your favourite pairing.

Overview

At almost 13 million bottles a year Glenfiddich is not only the world’s biggest selling single malt but also the most awarded. It’s production operation is colossal, boasting a capacity of 10,000,000 litres of pure alcohol per annum. Their 31 stills are fed by 24 massive Douglas Fir washbacks, each with a capacity of 50,000 litres.

Surprisingly, Glenfiddich’s size allows them to apply a level of in-house craft and attention to detail that many smaller distilleries cannot afford in today’s crowded and competitive market place. Firstly, Glenfiddich employs their own team of coppersmiths to service and tend to their 31 stills. The shape of Glenfiddich’s copper stills are strictly identical to those first used when the distillery was founded and it’s the coppersmiths’ job to make sure they stay that way. Secondly, Glenfiddich is one of the only distilleries with an on-site cooperage to tend the distillery’s huge reserve of barrels. The team mend around 126 casks every day, a hugely important job when you consider that 60% of the flavour and 100% the whisky’s colour comes from the wood. Finally, it’s the only Highland distillery that still bottles it’s own whisky at the distillery. In fact, it’s the only Highland distillery to distil, mature and bottle at the own distillery. Added to that, they are the only Highland whisky to use a single source of natural spring water from start to finish in the whisky making thanks to a sharp move by William back in 1892 when he bought 1200 acres surrounding the distillery to protect the purity of his water supply.

Interestingly, it’s also the only distillery still using wooden marrying tuns. Glenfiddich is well known for marrying their whiskies for at least three months, longer than any other Scotch, and this marrying allows all the flavours to fuse together and create wonderfully well-rounded whisky. Strict adherence to tradition can sometime stifle innovation, but fortunately this is not necessarily the case at Glenfiddich and 1998 saw the invention of the Solara Vat, used exclusively in the marrying process of the Glenfiddich 15 Year Old (not the 15 YO Distillery Edition, mind you), a huge success that’s been met with critical acclaim.

This month we’re extremely lucky to have the 15 Year Old Distillery Edition. First created in 2011, this expression has quickly become one of the most sought-after Limited Editions to come from the distillery. The thinking was to create a single malt that’s as close to the whisky you’d get at the distillery if you drew it from the cask yourself. As a result we have an exceptional malt that’s bottled at 51% and non-chill filtered. This is classic Glenfiddich, but with added complexity and character.

THE SPECS

Price: $115.00

Age: 15 Years Old

ABV: 51%

Maturation: Aged for 15 years in American and Spanish Oak casks and then married in 2,000L tall oak marrying tuns

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Glenfiddich's History

The Glenfiddich Distillery was established in 1886 by William Grant and is one of the greatest success stories of Scotch whisky, single-handedly creating the single malt category and now accounting for about 30% of all single malt sales worldwide. 

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Distillery Facts

Region: Speyside

Origin: The Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banffshire, AB55 4DH, Scotland, United Kingdom

Founded: 1886

Water Source: Robbie Dhu spring

Washbacks: 24, Douglas Fir

Stills: 11 wash and 20 spirit

Capacity: 10,000,000 litres per annum

Ready to enjoy a world-class whisky collection?

Your free Club Membership gives access to exclusive single malt from Scotland, Australia and the world’s best distilleries. Enjoy the unrivalled buying power of Australia's biggest whisky club.

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