Glenfiddich IPA Experiment

Rating: 13/23 I've not been impressed by IPA finished whiskey before, so I'm either about to have my world turned upside down or be really grateful that I only bought a sample of this. N: Some meat hits me first, unfortunately. This must be quite young. There's some grain and a dash of floral fruitiness here and there. There's a bit of a bitter layer that I think is the hops from the IPA, but it's surprisingly subdued. There's a faint herbal bridge from that into the fruits (cherry, orange, lemon). If it weren't for that overpowering meat, I'd be pretty optimistic right now. P: Fortunately the meat doesn't make it to the palate to the extent that it does the nose. Make no mistake though: I do taste the meaty flavor of a rough, youthful distillate. I get more of the IPA presence here with some bitterness, but the hops are far from overwhelming. There's a nice herbal touch leading into some floral fruit (tangerine, lemon, faint cherry), which in turn leads the palate into some malt, which in turn brings out a bit of toasty grain, light wood, and some vanilla. The malt is a bit too sweet and young, and it does come back around to the meat once or twice. This palate is almost quite good. Shockingly, its undoing is not the IPA, but the distillate. How did you mess this up, Glenfiddich? F: The hops show more here, with some numbing bitterness sticking around for quite a while. It's far from overwhelming though - this is no Corsair hopped expression. The meat also stays around for the finish, unfortunately. There are hints of the herbs and floral fruit, but not a whole lot. This is mostly numbness and meat. Really, a bad finish, though far from gag-inducing. - Conclusion - I was really worried about the hop flavor taking over, but that was entirely the wrong thing to worry about here. The young distillate is a huge problem and the IPA works surprisingly well. I'd try another IPA finished whiskey based on this experience. This is decidedly not a good whiskey though. Dewar's 15 The Monarch (13) is decidedly better than this is, but this also is a lot better than Proper No. Twelve (9). I'd put this closer to the Dewar's than the Proper No. Twelve, even considering the sulfuric meat. That means I must be looking at at least an 11 here. It'll be an 11 or 12. I'm currently leaning toward a 12. Last-second surprise! I came back to the rest of my sample a few days later and the meatiness was largely gone! I don't know if it was the air or just a different palate that did it, but I actually like this decently now. It's no Loch Lomond 12 (16), but it's at least good competition for Dewar's 15. I'd say that a 15 is a real stretch. If this were my only experience, I'd lean toward a 14, but I'm going with a 13 since I had that previous experience that was super meaty. Regardless, this is worth a taste, but the price is far too high to justify a bottle.

Finally getting to this. I did the XX and Fire & Cane 7-8 years ago at this point. I finally managed to get my hands on the first installment of this short-lived limited release line from Glenfiddich. I think I’ve chalked Winter Storm up to a miss at this point, so this should be the final installment right here. Let’s check it out. Nose: Fruity and floral. Apple, apricot, pear, and golden raisin. Toffee, honey, and vanilla. Coconut. Walnut and almond. Shea butter. Pineapple. Caramel and butterscotch. Marshmallow. Palate: Big time vanilla frosting, toffee, and honey. Milk chocolate to boot, along with caramel. A touch of peanut/almond butter. Sugar cookie. Apple, pear, apricot. White grape and golden raisin. Orange citrus. Plum. Some almond and walnut. White pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Finish: Almond and walnut. Plum, raisin, date, fig. Much darker and more plush fruit than the generally light and more confectionery palate. White pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. As far as I know, this was one of the first widely-distributed Scotches to be finished in IPA casks—and beer barrels in general. It set a trend that money have since followed. This may not seem very revolutionary now that I’m reviewing it in 2025; nevertheless, this truly was, as advertised, an Experiment. And I think it’s one that paid off. It’s a more full-bodied experience with less of that awful astringent taste you get from a 40% ABV bottling, and even throws in some exotic, tropical notes. That last part came as a pleasant surprise. I like. I think they should bring it back. I think it should replace the 12 year old. At any rate, this is one of the better Glenfiddich expressions I’ve had. I paid $70 for a limited release that’s almost a decade beyond the year it hit the market for maybe a slight markup—the juice was worth the squeeze here—on every front. It’s palatable for the beginner, but has enough going on to amuse a more experienced sipper. Solid stuff. 4/5 even.

Review #011 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 43% Comments: NAS, finished in ex-IPA casks, experimental series #01 Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Chestnut color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 15/20 Green apple, honey, more green apple, a hint of fresh flowers, did I mention green apple (because yeah, there’s a lot of that). Palate: 25/40 Lemon and lime zest, ripe pear, and oak spice. Finish: 29/40 Medium finish, introduces a very mild salty undertone, more oak spice and a small ethanol burn, ends on a bitter note of grapefruit and walnuts. With Water: A drop of water enhances the oak spice and grapefruit flavors in the finish. Total: 69/100 Final thoughts: Impulse buy on my part when I saw it on sale as it looked unique. Glad I had the opportunity to try it, but I won’t be rushing out to buy another IPA finish once the bottle is empty. Price: $45 Would recommend: no Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

A very unique Scotch, light and balanced as you would expect for Glenfiddich. On the nose; floral with some fruit, a bit of citrus. On the palate; a nice mouthful of fruit with some floral notes. I taste apple and rose, wish some lemon citrus following. A bit of spice arrives, but as it goes down you recognize it’s not spice-but the familiar IPA taste. The finish is light and smooth. Very balanced,with that IPA flavour lingering. A lovely Scotch, but not for me. If I wanted beer I would have reached for an Innis & Gunn.

Nose: Orchard fruit - pear, pear drop sweets, herbal Palate: Zesty, hoppy, pear drop sweets, vanilla Finish: Medium finish. Beer, caraway, nigella seeds, burnt seeds and herbs This is an obviously young whisky, stuck into a beer barrel. A bit burnt and herbal on the aftertaste, lots of fruity youthfulness upfront. It's OK, but nothing more than that.

First tasting of the evening. There is no IPA here! The taste is very pleasantly balanced. Smells like fruit marmalade from a wooden box. A lot of alcohol in taste and smell. Alcohol taste and alcohol burning in the mouth. A bit of wood in the finish. The taste is delicate, I do not recommend adding water. Mixes very well with apple compote.