Glenfiddich 19yo Age of Discovery Madeira Cask Finish
Don’t ask me why, but back in 2011 Glenfiddich decided they wanted to celebrate the 15th century Portuguese explorers. A quick Google didn’t give me much extra insight into their reasoning. But that’s not really what matters. What matters is the liquid itself. In this case a 19 year old Glenfiddich, finished in Madeira wine casks, with Madeira being one of the islands discovered by the Portuguese. See! There’s your connection 😉
Glenfiddich 19yo Age of Discovery (40%, OB, Madeira Cask Finish)
Nose: Sweet and floral, but with lots of fruit influences as well. Mango, oranges, apricots and a hint of lime. Behind that is a layer of vanilla, caramel and honey.
Taste: Palate is slightly spicier with ginger, cumin and cinnamon. Some fruit shines through tough, mainly oranges (zest).
Finish: Fairly dry, orange chutney, vanilla and pineapple. Really soft and gentle.
Rating: 85
It’s layered. It’s balanced. For 40 percent abv it is quite rich. But that is also the main negative: it’s bottled at the lowest possible alcohol percentage. At cask strength (or 46/48 percent even) this might be a really, really good whisky, instead of being just good.
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
We tried this Glenfiddich 19 yo about 2 years ago. John loved it and I thought it was ok. Reading your tasting notes, perhaps we should retry this one again. 🙂
Jeannette