Then And Now - Glenfiddich Original

Glenfiddich Original

It is a curious thing to see new but old expressions coming out form distilleries over the last few years. It can be a great way to get look in at the evolution of whisky brands and William Grant & Sons have done just that. June 3, 2015 saw the launch of the limited release Glenfiddich Original at the Lord Dudley Hotel, Sydney. We were lucky enough to attend with the launch and some club members returning for sit down master classes with the Glenfiddich Brand Ambassadors Laura Hay and Richard Blanchard.

The Glenfiddich Original is a throw back to how the brand was marketed and delivered outside of Scotland in the 1960’s primarily into the USA. This new release celebrates what launched the brand globally.

As a no age statement whisky there are reports from William Grant & Sons that the original release in the 1960’s was around the 8 year old mark. Does that mean William Grant & Sons has followed a similar path in blending stocks? Who knows but I don’t think that age matters in this case as Malt Master Brian Kinsman was aiming for a similar profile replication and not carbon copy facsimile.

William Grant & Sons launched The Original in June 2015 at The Lord Dudley Hotel. During this 4 day launch attendees could take a free masterclass and tasting of the core Glenffidich range as well as experiencing The Original in context. There is no more of a perfect way to take a retrospective look at where the whisky came from without tasting where the whisky is now.

The Glenfiddich Original new but old packaging

Glenfiddich Original
Distiller: Glenfiddich
Region: Speyside
ABV:40%
Release: Limited but abundant

Nose: Typical vanilla oaks and fresh green pears. A much lower abundance of spice and florals you may be expecting in a Glenfiddich and a more malt cereal nose.

Taste: Again the pears appear as do apples and citrus but much lower in the spice profile the 12yo displays. Soft cereal malts and sweet honey in the background.

Finish: Semi extended and a clear nutty dryness

Overall this is a typical Glenfiddich but it displays as much unique character as every other family member should. It is neither extreme not exactly like any of the others. Naturally this is not going to rock you boat and give you a blast of something totally out of the ordinary but then why should it. If this is a representation of where Glenfiddich started their marketing as a single malt then it was a bloody good beginning. Naturally if you are a Glenfiddich fan then this is certainly something that should be tasted. It is cool to know the origins of what now marks one of the worlds biggest selling malts, the Glenfiddich 12yo and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Thanks to William Grant & Sons for the invite to yet another stand out event. If you would like to see more shots of the event then duck over to our facebook album.

The Baron

Bang On The Money - The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood

The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood

On the eve of our next DTWC I think it is only appropriate we revisit the premier whisky at our last meeting, The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood.

It is fair to say that The Balvenie gets a good looking form time to time at our club and rightly so. It is a great distillery making a fine spirit. What I find with The Balvenie though is that it is a whisky to enjoy in isolation. Its refinement is pure so taint from other whiskies and or other environmental influences can distract the sensory experience.

I chose The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood for my hosting of DTWC because it displays wood characteristics very few other whiskies achieve in good order. Old oak is often worrisome for me. Often enough whiskies take on that mousey old tweed jacket sensation. In the case of The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood the consistency of character is excellent. This excellence is good wood management by David Stewart, Malt Master for The Balvenie.

Mr Stewart has been working with William Grant & Sons for 50+ years now so it is no surprise he knows every one of these barrels that goes into making up this whisky. Traditional aged Balvenie is then transferred into premium old port pipes and casks for additional maturation. The result is a refined honey, fruit and nut characteristic.

The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood
Distiller: The Balvenie
Region: Speyside, Scotland
ABV: 40%
Wood: Traditional oak and ex-Port Casks

Colour
An old sunset cresting into the evening.

Nose
Oaky love and fruit basket layered with straw. The nose is fine and light while being unassuming as to what is to come.

Taste
Bang on the money with refined old oak. A creamy light gesture of wood, honey, nuts and fruity spice. The tongue tingles in excitement.

Finish
Long and drawn out as the wood effects all aspects of the experience. Still vibrant well after a dram the tongue will continue to tantalise your tastes buds with what has passed.

Overall this is a cracker whisky and I have to give it a strong 6.75 out of 7. Priced at around $230AU consistency is always sound and appreciation is guaranteed. For really aged character this is one of my go to whiskies at that price point and age.

The Baron

They're back - The Gentleman's Wager II

There is no denying Johnnie Walker make a good promotional flick. Back in 2014 we saw the silver screen legends Jude Law and Giancarlo Giannini in The Gentleman's Wager, a short film celebrating the finer things in life and of course Johnnie Walker Blue.

Now it is 2015 and the boys are back with the second instalment: The Gentleman's Wager II. The mood of the short film takes on much more detailed story of the characters entering into a wager over a vintage Delahaye 135S Tourer while racing to arrive at Monte Carlo to win the bet. In echo of the the first short film Jude Laws character is quoted as saying "I want this car. And I don’t want to buy it with money. I want to win it." Adding to the mix is Chinese actress Zhao Wei appearing as a more of a cameo to build a character sure to appear in the next instalment.

I hope you enjoy the flick.

The Baron

This is a non-sponsord announcement. For any further details please defer to the Johnnie Walker website.

Art meets Science meets Whisky - Glenfiddich The Finishing Touch

Here is a bit of an interesting concept for whisky. We all enjoy our whisky and most probably enjoy a bit of good music to get into the vibe while kicking back with a dram. Glenfiddich have just released a short clip conducting an experiment to explore the effects of live music on single malt. That single malt is the Glenfiddich 21yo to be exact.

What is this really involving? Well instead of myself getting technical when I am not a technical person I thought it best to pull some extracts form the release for you to read yourself:

The Mavericks of Dufftown bought together a diverse ‘cast’ including experts in the science of Cymatics ( the study of visible sound waves), Caribbean vocalist, Calma Carmona, and the Co-Operative Orchestra Scotland in a revolutionary experiment designed to explore the effects of live music on single malt. Inspired by the whisky raised in Scotland and roused by the Caribbean, a Franz Ferdinand track, Love Illumination, was selected as the experiment’s catalyst, with a new interpretation fusing the musical heritage of both cultures through powerful Scottish orchestration and Carmona’s distinctive Caribbean vocal. 

The artists performed the unique track in a London warehouse in real time to an ‘audience’ of bespoke, precision-crafted devices, developed by creative laboratory TenHertz, and manufactured to capture the various cymatic effects of the music on the 21 year old liquid. Each device was specifically attuned to respond and react to different note ranges and sound frequencies, isolated through a speaker via specially programmed software.

Vaguely reminiscent of classroom chemistry flasks, but infinitely more sophisticated, the Decanter devices produced horizontal pulses and vibrations associated with the stringed instruments and Calma's vocals. The Double Helix and Zig Zag devices manifested air twists and zig zag patterns created by flowing whisky in response to the double bass and percussion of the orchestra and band. A fourth device, the Levitron, isolated one drop of ‘levitating’ single malt between two ultrasonic transducers in mid-air. The whisky was in suspended animation, created by the notes of the song's finale and it’s the first time that this has been witnessed outside of a laboratory.

Sounds pretty cool right? Now if you set aside all he technical guff and take this for what it really is, then you going to love it. Visually it is spectacular clip making me pretty thirsty for a whisky.

I hope you enjoy.

The Baron

Information quoted in this post has been provided to us as an official media release by Agent99 on behalf of the Glenfiddich.