Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year

My whisky journey has been going on for about 13 years now. I have been down that whisky evangelist, whisky reviewer path of high ABV, non-colored, non-chill-filtered, simple packaging, informative labeling before. It leads to a small suburban neighborhood with similar-minded folks, with exquisite oak sticks stuck up their bum holes, trying not to get drunk off a single pour of shit that’s like 62% alcohol by talking about their experience. I am done with that. Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23-year-old checks all of my new boxes: - It is at the bare minimum 40% ABV - It very likely has artificial coloring - It is very likely chill-filtered - It comes in a fancy box, with a rotating pedestal, a baroque two-step bottle release mechanism, and a gorgeous, heavy, black bottle that would make Macallan jealous. You are absolutely paying a premium for this presentation. Removing the tongue from my cheek, there is nothing wrong with this presentation. Normal people enjoy this kind of stuff. And the whisky lover in me who now simply enjoys great tasting and unique spirits, also enjoys this. If you are a whisky traditionalist, this whisky is not for you. On the whisky flavor wheel, this is missing entire spokes. It is more like a flavor triangle, like the shape of Glenfiddich bottles. The Grand Cru 23-year-old is intensely fruity, somewhat floral, and a little earthy and chalky. That’s it. You literally get a sparkling white wine or, of course, champagne crossover into a 40% ABV spirit that, to the champagne connoisseur, will be intense; but, to the whisky connoisseur, will be juice. But, as such, this is utterly unique and, in its own way, beautiful. There is no saltiness, no smokiness, no maltiness, no spiciness at all in this whisky. Fuck that Scottish shit. I remember bringing this to a Christmas party last year and people who were beer drinkers, people who were wine drinkers, people who were sure that they hated Scotch, all loved this whisky. And I loved this whisky among good company; and I love this whisky on occasion without company. It serves me well when I am looking for a champagne experience in a WHISKY that I can re-cork and put away to enjoy again months later. I don’t need that raw, hard, full cask strength experience all the time. You can’t be thug life all the time. I have enjoyed this whisky so much that I searched for a similar fragrance for my bathroom and landed on a reed diffuser from Jo Malone called “Pear and Freesia.” Freesia is a type of iris. This Grand Cru 23-year-old is at its best on the nose. It is a blast of apples, pears, white grapes, and strawberries. The floral notes are inseparable from the fruity notes as this is reminiscent of fruity-smelling flowers (like freesia). The palate is on the lighter side, and the finish is short, but both are pleasant enough, and the champagne influence is unambiguous and makes this whisky unique, because what other whisky tastes like a high-end champagne? This bottle is slightly north of $300. Like all whiskies that I take the time to review now, it is worth it. For my alternative recommendations, I am looking for whiskies that are all about an intense fruitiness with mass appeal. Easier to get alternative: Compass Box Orchard House ($50). Bigtime apples and pears you will get. But, also, there are definitely young malts that add cereal notes, and, being young and at 46%, this one definitely bites harder than the Glenfiddich. Harder to get alternative: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Pittyvaich ($400 and hard to find). Same intense and rich pear and flower notes as this Glenfiddich, but also much more satisfying for traditional whisky connoisseurs due to the addition of maltiness and smokiness.

This whisky is much like a concert. You hear that a new band is coming to town, the band sounds promising, a Scottish single malt genre with 23 years experience playing and they even have a fusion twist of Grand Cru finishing to just change it up with some sounds. The tickets are expensive, but what the hell, it’s a band that sounds interesting with a new fresh vibe from some Grand Cru influence. You start the concert off with an opening band to start, a Glenlivet 12 helps get you on your feet with songs your familiar with and you’re feeling pretty good, as they finish their set, you’re anxiously anticipating the new band Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 to come out and hopefully blow you away with their fusion twist. The lights are still dark, but you hear them playing with a nose of apple, pear, orange creamsicle and grappa that makes you intrigued. Then the curtain goes up, lights go on with that first sip, and then you realize that there is no lead singer, the singer is a no show and what you’re left with is the drummer, lead guitarist and bassist. You’re shocked the singer didn’t show, but you already spent the money, so you stick out the concert taking another sip and enjoying the songs of apple, pear, orange creamsicle, grappa, cigar box done to a velvety smooth rhythm and even enjoy their finale of apple, pear, orange creamsicle, grappa with a ginger snap. The band did a good job and you actually have a good time, but can’t help but wonder what happened to the lead singer that should have shown up to be the front runner that adds the vibrant and dynamic lyrics, and charismatic persona to wrap it all together in an epic experience. It’s a concert you enjoyed, but wouldn’t recommend to friends as you can find far better bands out there for the same price point if not much lower that actually have dependable lead singers that always show up to put on a great performance.

This was a dissapointment. A 23yo single malt, with a beautiful bottle, around the $300 mark, that is named "Grand Cru" which means a special blend of wines in the wine industry, and having declared that this was matured in french Cuvée casks (special best casks for champagne) but gives you a flavor that you can find in most 12-15yo speyside whiskies, it is just sad for the customer. I am not saying this was a bad dram, not at all, it is just normal. Forgettable. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose: Vanilla powder, yellow apples, caramel powder, pears, chocolate powder, winey. Second sip became just caramel and lemon. On the palate, nothing really. A very normal fresh apple flavor with hints of pepper. Pears. Aftertaste was the best part of it, but absolutely normal. Ginger, Vanilla powder, cinnamon, apples. Second and third sip revealed some mineral notes, maybe salt. And that's it. I believe that this is not only boring and normal, it falls into my perception of some "fancy" whiskies that have standard, safe flavors for those buyers who don't know much about whisky and they have a bigger wallet, and when they have this, they'll enjoy it because it is a smooth apple juice, but for the real critics and enthusiasts it is plain boring. I wouldn't pay more than 40 dollars for a whole bottle, it is not even a better Glenfiddich than the 15, 18, 19 age of discovery ones or the 21, and i think that is undeniable. My score for it is a creepy 77 over 100. Move along, nothing to see here.

The nose is rich and full, giving a sense of age, though not giving a sense of much complexity or deep, dark, rich flavors like Glenfarclas. The palate is disappointingly light and watery. I'm not shocked given that it's only 40%, but I am disappointed. There's a prevalent wateriness. There's some light fruit, but the flavors on a whole don't really stand out in terms of quality. There's a decent balance I guess with fruitiness and some spice and some cardboard, but it really doesn't taste like much. It tastes better than bland sake, but it has its own imperfections too. The flavor here is light with no smoke or sea spray. There's plenty of sweetness, sort of like mild sugar water but it also has some problematic bread that's gone a little bad but isn't full-on mildewed yet. It definitely has a light flavor that gives me a bit of a notion of champagne, though it also kind of just reminds me of sake and shouju. It's really not very good, unfortunately. I like some of the sweetness and a bit of the more subtle swirling character, but it kind of tastes like Sho Chiku Bai Nigori with some gross bread, which isn't bad but is weird. I only get a little bit of the richness that the distiller reviewer claims. I do taste a little bit of pear and sweet apricot and they're nice, but not enough in this price range and, frankly, not enough for a whiskey in general. This mostly doesn't taste bad, but it tastes like a whole lot of nothing.

This is a review of the exclusive duty-free version bottled at 43% Nose - Nice fruity/floral, dark fruity honey, vanilla, ripe apples, pears, hint of cooked golden raisins Taste - Nice gentle candied ginger spice, golden floral honey, vanilla, hint of cinnamon, spiced apple/pear cider, lightly drying mouthfeel, fruity oak, golden raisins Finish - Lingering gentle candied ginger heat, light grape seed/vine bitterness, fruity honey, more mix of ripe and unripe green pear, light mineral/chalky/dusty mouthfeel Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - I haven't tried the 40% version, but I expect the 43% version is significantly better as I think that slight bump in proof helps preserve and enhance some of the more subtle characters in this dram. This has a very nice pleasant nose that does hint to an effervescent/acidic grape influence to it which I found nice & enjoyable. This does translate a bit to the palate, but a bit more gently. I get a very dark fruity fresh honey vibe to the dram which is nice and I can see how this could appeal to the masses (especially those who are new to Scotch and are looking for something approachable). The mouthfeel does capture a bit of the mouthfeel and "vibe" I get from older Scotches. Finish is a bit short, but pleasant. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No, I'd value this bottle at about $80-$100USD

Nose: quince, vanilla, Williams pears. A generally fresh and light nose, but excellent! Palate: at first glance it recalls a traditional whiskey matured in ex-bourbon barrels, but then a slightly acidic flavor takes over on the tip of the tongue reminiscent of a blanc de blanc. However, it does not seem to me that the two flavors blend so well with each other, they seem to be two separate taste lines and not well mixed. Very thick and oily. The finish is also acidic and medium-long. In short, a certainly innovative whisky, but that has not convinced me at all. Rating 3.75 _______________________________________________________________________ Naso: mele cotogne, vaniglia, pere Williams Un olfatto generalmente fresco e leggero, ma ottimo! Palato: di primo acchito ricorda un whisky tradizionale maturato in botti ex bourbon, ma poi subentra un sapore leggermente acidulo sulla punta della lingua che ricorda un blanc de blanc. Non mi pare però che i due sapori si fondano così bene tra loro, sembrano due linee di gusto separate e non ben mixate. Molto denso ed oleoso. Finale anch’esso acidulo e medio lungo. Insomma, un whisky sicuramente innovativo, ma che non mi ha per nulla convinto. Voto 3,75