Glenfiddich Excellence 26 Year Old

Tasting Notes

• Tasting Notes by Billy A

  • Nose

    Tablet and vanilla toffee, with Nice biscuits and touches of oaty Hob-nob. Accompanying the sweetness and grain are some more herbal, spicy and citrus notes, with touches of mint, cinnamon and sherbert lemons, backed up by pineapple kubes, spiced sponge cake, white peach, white grape and sweet apple. Underneath all of that lie darker flavours, with freshly stripped vanilla pod, mulchy fruit and a hint of leather.

  • Palate

    Soft and spicy to start, with apple, cinnamon, and vanilla essence slowly replaced by sharper and more full bodied flavours - Granny Smith apple, cracked black pepper, autumn leaves, liquorice root and drying wood tannins. As the initial sweetness fades, some bitter woody notes appear, but are balanced by fruity flavours, with the pineapple kubes from the nose joined by sweet gummi fruit, candied lemon and lychee. Creaminess develops, with lemon posset and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

  • Finish

    Lychee and honeydew melon initally burst over the palate, replaced by spiced custard and singed Garibaldi biscuits. The sweetness fades to leave freshly sawn oak and a hint of barrel char.

  • Comment

    A very well-made whisky that balances the distillery's orchard fruit character with classic American oak spice and creaminess, and with some of the more tropical fruit notes found in older expressions. Glenfiddich fans are going to love this.

• Producer's Notes

  • Colour

    Rich golden.

  • Nose

    Soft and delicate with a beautiful floral character. Spring blossom, violets, sweet peas and a subtle green leafiness.

  • Taste

    Vibrant with a compelling balance of dry tannin and soft brown sugar vanilla sweetness. A deep oak flavour gradually builds, with hints of spice and liquorice shining through.

  • Finish

    Sweet with a lingering spiciness.