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.
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