Glenfiddich Experimental Series #3 Winter Storm

The third experiment – the Winter Storm – took the shelves by storm (see what I did there?) and sold out in a matter of days. Even batch 02 is hard to find, but not worries: batch 03 is underway. What makes Winter Storm special is the fact that this Glenfiddich matured for 21 years on bourbon casks before getting a finish of three months on casks that previously held ice wine. Peller Estates from the Canadian Niagara-on-the-Lakes (that’s right, near the famous waterfalls) harvests the grapes for this wine at -10° Celsius in the moonlight. This is not just folklore, but a choice for that’s when the grapes have their highest concentration of sugars. The Glenfiddich spends three months in these casks to become the subtle single malt that has proved so popular.

A delicate nose in which the typical soft and sweet fruitiness of the whisky is enhanced by the sweet wine. Honey, blue fruit and soft spices make this a pleasure to nose. I am always a bit careful with a wine finish, but this Glenfiddich is top notch on the nose.

This continues on the palate, but…. Truth be told, it cannot fulfill the promise of the nose. In fact, it flattens out quite a bit. Still very tasty, don’t get me wrong, but not on the same level as the nose. The second sip does nothing to change my mind. Some caramel and spices to hold back some of the wine notes. Oops.

The finish is rather short and sweet, softly spicy and mildly drying towards the death.

When I first tried it (with a glass of the wine right next to it and in combination with a crèmre brûlée of apricots) I thought it was heaven. Now, re-tasting it on its own in the tranquility of my study, it’s another story. Still a delicious nosing whisky, but on the palate and in the finish a lot less so. And considering the price tag of this bottle (around 300 to 500 EUR no less), I’m going to have to let this one pass me by.

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