Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection VAT 01

The single malt giants, Glenfiddich, have release a new collection that i am almost sure is only for travel retail. The four bottles are just amazingly good looking, and the boxes are even better. Very fancy presentation, lets talk about the whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, the Perpetual Collection Vat 01, called "elegant & Smooth", is the first release, and it has been matured in Glenfiddich's very known Solera Vats. On the nose, it is fairly woody. New polished wood, sawdust. Strong fresh fruitiness. Stewed pears and apples. Mashed apples. Honey, cinnamon. After a first sip it became a rum & raisin ice cream. Ginger. On the palate, dulce de leche, very light. Some hay/tobacco note. the second sip was a marshmallow water; vanilla, honey; That is the profile. A sugary, fruity, light water. Milk with sugar. Aftertaste is spicy. Pepper and sulphur. Metalic. The second sip became a horse stable: Hay, tobacco, burnt old grass. I havent have this sulphuric note for a while, it is nice actually. Overall, this is the safest single malt you can ever buy. The tasting and aroma notes are the most typical you will ever find on a whisky. Having said that, this is enjoyable, easy drinkable and fairly nice for a 1 litre bottle. Nothing overly exciting, this is some entry level dram, you can use it to convince people to start trying single malts. My score for it is 80 over 100.

Review #43 - Whisk(e)y #29 Bought in Budapest Airport in a 50ml bottle, on offer with the Meukow VSOP 50ml for 7 euros the pair, which seems like a very good deal for trying out a whisky. The whisky is a pale golden colour, with a relatively oily-viscuous texture in the glass, with medium length legs. Nose - alcohol is quite prominent together with some oak-peppery spice, while the whisky also shows a malty, fruity sweetness, as it is the flavour blueprint for Glenfiddich. Palate - tastes young, having a strong unbalanced peppery spice on the front end, being unrefined and with a proeminent effervescence. Subsequently it starts to show more of the malty sweetness, along with fresh fruit (apples and pears). Finish - short, perhaps short-medium, spicy, slightly woody-dry, nothing special. On the after-taste though it shows some more pleasant aromas, perhaps some subtle dried fruit, a very slight bitterness and a late floral note. Overall it is not a bottle I would buy, especially given the price in the 40-65 euros range per liter...the Glenfiddich 12 is cheaper, and much more balanced, complex and refined than this VAT 01, while also featuring a higher age of the whisky itself. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

The nose is classic Glenfiddich married with red fruits, muscadine grape, sugary fondant, mild pink grapefruit citrus, and a touch of oaky vanillin plus a pinch of cinnamon. A little hot and spicy on the palate initially, but it mellows out quickly. Lightly sweet, with orchard fruits, underripe pineapple, barley malt, a touch of Seville orange, and a hint of almond. The body is light, yet with a satisfactory mouthfeel, but not much viscosity. The legs are slow to appear, disperse quickly, and are relatively thin, but are neat, uniform, and leave behind a lovely mist in the glass. The finish is dry, with a slight bitterness of grape skins and gentle oak tannins, lingering confectionery sweetness, and a perfume-like fruitiness both sweet and sharp, with a final note of ground ginger. Nose: 9 Taste: 8 Body: 7 Finish: 8

Bought as comparison to the Glenfiddich Cask Select. Fruity nose - apple/pear/peach. Mainly a woody taste, bit of buttery caramel, slight vanilla. Not too exciting tbh. Doesn’t linger. Packaging looks great though!