Glenfiddich Age of Discovery – Bourbon Cask Reserve
19 yrs old
40% ABV
$165-$180
Website
What the Distiller Says
The Great American Rivers once transported fine oak casks filled with American bourbon towards New Orleans. Bourbon casks could only be used once, their aromas and flavours released quickly, without being exhausted by long maturation. Excellent for ageing single malt Scotch.
Our second release in the Age of Discovery collection and a first for us, Bourbon Cask Reserve is inspired by that history. It is our only expression exclusively matured in American bourbon casks, for 19 years. Creating a refined balance of spicy sweetness and rich dried fruit flavours.
Tasting Notes
COLOUR: Autumn barley fields.
NOSE: Warm, crunchy toffee and deep citrus notes. Marmalade on toast with fine orange liqueur balanced by dry, almost smoky oak tannin.
TASTE: Intriguing layers of light tannin, underpinned by rich notes of vanilla pod, fine leather and Havana tobacco. Develops into a sweet, velvety mouth-feel with spicy hints of cardamom and nutmeg.
FINISH: Warm, delightful long finish.
NOTE: Richard reviewed this about 5 yrs ago (including his notes below as well) from a sample provided. Normally I wouldn’t post a duplicate review – but his was done as a new release at the time, and this is done more as part 1 of a 3 part series.
What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet, dried fruit with vanilla, musty oak, subtle baking spices and milk chocolate.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, sweet and fruity; canned pears, apricots with nutmeg and allspice.
Finish: Moderately long with pears and hints of cracked pepper.
Comments: Richard picked up this “Age of Discovery” box set while visiting the motherland, which included a 200 ml bottle of the Bourbon Cask Reserve, the Maderira Cask Finish, and the Red Wine Cask Finish. I thought it would be interesting to taste these three together to compare/contrast, as they are each 19yr Glenfiddich. This is the first of the three, and a very nice dram. On the sweet side of things but not cloyingly so, and nothing off putting. Would have liked a bit more spice to balance things out, but using this as my baseline for exploring the other two. While nice, this doesn’t hit me squarely enough to shell out the dough for a bottle.
Rating: Stands Out
What Richard Says:
Nose: Pears, the malty whiff of an IPA, and orange-mint chewing gum.
Palate: A hint of sweet vanilla at first, then Christmas spices, old rough leather like a pair of old buckskin work gloves.
Finish: Very mellow, wet toothpicks, mint notes, fading to old cigar.
Comments: This is a very interesting dram. Personally, if I was going to spend $150 on a bottle of Glenfiddich it would be the 21 year old finished in rum casks. That’s not a knock on this bottle, it’s just not the best Glenfiddich has to offer at the price point. It’s still an interesting iteration and a nice glass of scotch. However, I think this would be more for the Glenfiddich devotee rather than the uninitiated.