Glenfiddich 18 yo 40% vs Glenfiddich 37 yo 1964 / 2001 Ian Macleod #10791 58.7%
Yes, it’s a blatantly uneven match:
Glenfiddich 18 yo 40% ~ 2016 bottling
Light, supple and clearly well put together. It’s sherry garb colours it fruity with fresh plums, baked apple, milk chocolate, lacquered oak, and spices like cinnamon etc. Lightly oiled, with a gentle spicy sizzle. Oaky tannins evident on the tongue. A mild blackberry richness proves to be somewhat ephemeral and dries to a tannic kiss. Absolutely nothing to offend here. The epitome of a very okay malt. 83 pts.
Glenfiddich 37 yo 1964 / 2001 Ian Macleod #10791 58.7%
In what may be the most unfair head to head… Also with heartfelt thanks to a friend. Huge nose, typical of long maturation in first fill sherry. We’ve shot past richness to liquid tar. And soy sauce, roast drippings, burnt grease. So, so earthy-woody, it feels they dug up a whole bog oak and distilled it. Biohazardous amounts of black mushrooms. Mix that with a herbal elixir concentrate replete with bitter medicinal herbs and barks. Solidified resins and hot plastic. A juggernaut of flavour here, but we’ve long overtaken any pretence of balance. Engine oil and soot so thick its forming its own rock layer. Oils and greases and bitter tinctures. Positively immense. Chicken essence even. At this point, it doesn’t matter if it was Glenfiddich or Glen Albyn really. This would be Jupiter to the floating space rock that is the 18yo. 87 pts. Though if you are a hardcore sherryhead this might be 93 instead.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Lagavulin 10 yo 1988 / 1998 Horae Solaris Moon Import 50% vs Lagavulin 1988 Samaroli 56%
- Tomatin 23 yo 1981 / 2005 Whisky Wizard #18244 46% vs Tomatin 34 yo 1976 / 2010 The Whisky Agency & 3Rivers 51.1%
- Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1987 Highland Laird 51.1% vs Bunnahabhain 25 yo 1988 / 2013 La Maison du Whisky Artist 3 #18745 56.3%
- Glen Garioch 1993 / 2014 Spirit & Cask Range #1794 52.9% vs Glen Garioch 25 yo 1990 Old Particular Douglas Laing #10989 56.9%
- Laphroaig 9 yo 2004 / 2013 Hunter Laing ‘Advance Sample’ #10054 50% vs Laphroaig 12 yo 2002 / 2014 Distillery only self fill cask #6930 57%
- Glenfiddich 18 yo 40% vs Glenfiddich 37 yo 1964 / 2001 Ian Macleod #10791 58.7%
- Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold 43% vs Dalwhinnie Lizzie’s Dram 48% vs Dalwhinnie distillery only 2008 / 2019 American Oak Single Cask 63.4% vs Dalwhinnie distillery only 2008 / 2019 Bodega Sherry Single Cask 63%
- Domaine Dupont Millésime 1977 Calvados 42%
- Benrinnes 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Old & Rare Hunter Laing 49.8% vs Benrinnes 16 yo 1980 / 1996 Blackadder #1350 61.2%
- Teaninich 34 yo 1983 / 2018 Berry Bros for Shinanoya #6729 46.2% vs Teaninich 18 yo James MacArthur (bottled 1991 ~ distilled circa 1973) 58.4% vs Teaninich SMWS 59.5
