Glenfiddich

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > G

GLENFIDDICH

geen leeftijd vermelding

43 %

SPECIAL OLD RESERVE
PURE MALT Scotch WhiskY
William Grant & Sons Ltd,
The Glenfiddich Distillery, Banffshire

Glenfiddich, which in Gaelic means 'Valley of The Deer' lies in the heart of Scotland's dis¬tilling district.

Glenfiddich is a Single Malt Whisky distilled and matured to perfection on Speyside since 1887.

William Grant's family have now been producing this whisky in the tradition manner for 5 generations.

GLENFIDDICH

15 years old

51 %

LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
Authentic Highland Malt
'Made Without Compromise'
CASK STRENGHT
Distilled, Matured and Bottled
Only at The Glenfiddich Distillery
Dufftown, Banffshire.
Glenfiddich Cask Strenght is a pure Highland single malt with a true depth of character produced by marrying casks of whisky that have matured for a minimum of 15 years. Bottled at the Distillery at a strenght typically found in casks of this age, it allows you to add just the quantity of water that you feel is necessary to release the rich bouquet and full flavour of this exceptional whisky.

Cask Strenght celebrates the traditional skills and craftmanship still adhered to at the Glenfiddich Distillery where single malt whisky of the finest quality has been 'Made without compromise' for over 100 years.

GLENFIDDICH

21 years old

40 %

Bottled: 2002
HAVANA RESERVE
Specially Selected
ESQUISITOS SUPERIORES
A Unique CUBAN RUM FINISH
Matured A Unique Formula
PURE SINGLE MALT RICH AGED
Distilled , Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Ltd, Banffshire
STAND FAST
Distilling Single Malt Scotch Whisky
for five Generations

Glenfiddich 21 year old Havana Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky completed its maturation in our Cuban Rum Finish casks.

Rum distillers from Sancti Spiritus near the Sierra Del Escambray in the heart of Cuba, were instrumental in the creation of the rich Cuban Rum Finish.

Glenfiddich Havana Reserve is a 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands.

The taste of this Cuban Rum Finished Glenfiddich is full and rich, initially a toffee sweetness becoming more drying with spice notes and hints of sweet tobacco and leather.

At the Glenfiddich Distillery casks of Cuban Rum were decanted and 21 Year Old Glenfiddich filled into the same casks to take on the unique character.

The 21 Year Old Glenfiddich was ampled routinely by the Glenfiddich Malt Master; bottled only when he was convinced that the flavour, while unmistakably Glenfiddich, had aquired a new vibrancy.

Tasting notes:

Nose:

intense and sweet, floral, hints of banana, figs, fudge toffee, leather and oak.

Taste:

initially soft, then brisk, vibrant and drying, peppery, a touch of smoke, oak lime, ginger and spices.

Finish:

very long, warming, dry and spicy.

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 30 years

40 %

PURE SINGLE MALT
LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
'Made Without Compromise'
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

Distilled over a generation ago Glenfiddich 30 Year Old is among the finest single malt Scotch whiskies ever produced on Speyside.

Maturation for over three decades in specially selected casks, has produced a Scotch whisky with an astonishing palette of complex tastes and fragrant aromas.

A remarkable inheritance passed from one generation to the next, this fine Scotch whisky is perfect for sharing with friends and Scotch whisky connoisseurs.

Distilled over a generation ago it is an inheritance we are proud to share. Glenfiddich 30 Year Old has developed a profound complexity of fragrance and flavour.

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 18 years

40 %

ANCIENT RESERVE
Pure Single Malt
'Made without Compromise'
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve has been matured in oak casks at The Glenfiddich Distillery for at least 18 years before bottling. Its unique character and quality come from the skilful marrying of whiskies matured in Oloroso sherry casks with whiskies matured in traditional oak whisky casks.

The resulting sweetness from the sherry wood is perfectly balanced by the 'oakiness' drawn from the traditional cask. This excellent combination results in a Single Malt Scotch Whisky of great character - smooth and full - bodied.

GLENFIDDICH

geen leeftijd vermelding

43 %

CLASSIC
OLD CLASSIC RESERVE 1887
RARE OLD GLENFIDDICH RESERVE
Pure Malt Very Rare Scotch Whisky
Matured in Oak Casks
From an Independent Family Company
Distilled & Bottled at The Glenfiddich Distillery,
Banffshire

On rare occasions we discover casks of Glenfiddich which are maturing very slowly. Over many years this limited reserve of whisky acquires great smoothness and a magnificent flavour.

This is the Glenfiddich Classic: a peerless, rare old Scotch Whisky of which only limited quantities can be produced each years.

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 18 years

43 %

EXCELLENCE
Pure Single Malt Scotch Whisky
RARE OLD SCOTCH WHISKY
The Glenfiddich Distillery, Banffshire

When William Grant built the Glenfiddich Distillery over one hundred years ago, he could not have imagined what a family tradition he had founded.

Since then there have been 18 direct descendants who have worked in the company, building the reputation and presence of Glenfiddich around the world.

Today, five generations later, the company is still owned and managed by the family.

To celebrate this unique occasion, we have created a special 18 Year Old Glenfiddich, one year for each member of the family who has contributed to its remarkable succes.

Glenfiddich Excellence 18 Year Old, a rare reserve of ancient whisky with a rich depth of flavour and aroma.

Unlike other Scotch Whiskies, Glenfiddich is the only Highland malt to be made using a single source of pure spring water and to be bottled at its own distillery giving it a distinctive smoothness and purity of taste.

Uitgebracht zomer 1999.

GLENFIDDICH

50 years old

43 %

50 ml
The Glenfiddich Distillery, Banffshire

Gekregen van de heer D. Noordijk van International Marques, Haarlem op 26 November 1999 tijdens de 'Nosing & Tasting' in Het Kompas t.g.v. de uitreiking van The Scotch Malt Whisky Award 1999.

De Glenfiddich 50 years old is erg zeldzaam en kostbaar. Slechts 500 flessen zijn ooit gebotteld. Normaal worden er ongeveer 350 - 450 flessen uit een standaard vat verkregen.

Voor deze 50 jaar oude Glenfiddich zijn negen vaten gebruikt.

Deze vaten leverden slechts 500 flessen op, de rest van de whisky was verdampt,

De negen vaten zijn symbolisch, William en Elisabeth Grant hadden negen kinderen.

Een fles kost ongeveer £ 5000 en dat maakt de Glenfiddich 50 years old tot de meest kost¬bare fles buiten veilingen om.

De whisky was opgelegd in standaard vaten, dat wil zeggen dat er geen gebruik is gemaakt van sherry vaten.

De heer D. Noordijk is in 2000 gestorven.

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 21 years

40 %

MILLENNIUM RESERVE
A Vintage Reserve of
Rare Scotch Whisky
Made without Compromise
In Celebration of a New Millennium
VERY RARE
Limited Edition
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery,
Dufftown, Banffshire

Twenty one years ago, in celebration of times to come, the descendent 's of William Grant laid down some of their finest single malt Scotch whisky in oak casks. Now bottled this Limited Edition Glenfiddich Millennium Reserve is ready to be enjoyed in the 21e century.

Its unique character and quality comes from the skilful marrying of Glenfiddich Scotch Whis¬kies matured in oak casks made from European oak, American bourbon oak and sherry wood.

In 1979, I watched this fine spirit flow from the copper stills. Since then, we 've both aged and mellowed at The Glenfiddich Distillery. Now, to celebrate the next millennium I hope you will enjoy a dram of this special whisky. Slainte. Sandy Duncan, Glenfiddich Stillman.

GLENFIDDICH

geen leeftijd vermelding

43%

CENTENARY SINGLE MALT
THE CENTENARY CELEBRATION
100 Years of Craftmanship 1887 - 1987
GLENFIDDICH PURE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
LIMITED CENTENARY EDITION

Specially filled and sealed on Christmas Day 1986 to commemorate 100 years since Glenfiddich ran from the stills 12000 Bottles No. 02445 William Grant & Sons Limited, The Glenfiddich Distillery, Banffshire.

GLENFIDDICH

geen leeftijd vermelding

43 %

HERITAGE RESERVE
Bonnie Prince Charlie 1720 - 1788
The Glenfiddich Distillery, Banffshire

In 1745, at the age of twenty four, Bonnie Prince Charlie landed on the west coast of Scotland with just seven men. He had come to recover the throne for his father from the Hanoverian 'upsurpers'.

Rallying five thousend men, he nearly succeeded in his aim but finally defeated at the calamitous battle of Culloden in 1746.

Escaping to Skye and thence to France, he livet in exile as 'The King Over The Water' and never returned to Scotland.

Using a selection of carefully chosen casks the Glenfiddich Heritage Reserve has been specially created to commemorate Scotland's Royal Heritage.

We are now proud to present the Glenfiddich Heritage Reserve in this specially commissioned crock based upon a design that has been in existence for as long as Malt Whisky itself - a fitting celebration of Scotland's Royal Heritage.

Mary Queen of Scots 1542 - 1587 Bonnie Prince Charlie 1720 - 1788 Robert The Bruce 1274 – 1329.

GLENFIDDICH

12 years old

40 %

PURE SINGLE MALT
'Made without Compromise'
SPECIAL RESERVE
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

It has a fresh and fruity aroma, with a dash of pear. The taste is soft and rounded, with rich fruit flavours, a touch of pine and subtle peatiness.

GLENFIDDICH

15 years old

40 %

SOLERA RESERVE
William Grant & Sons Ltd,
Dufftown, Banffshire

Scotch Malt Whisky is a natural product made from traditional ingredients: malted barley, living yeast and pure spring water.The quality of the barley which varies from harvest to harvest, the manner in which it has been malted, the softness or hardness of the water, the shape of the stills, the season of the year when distil¬lation takes place, all play a role in the creation of this complex spirit.

Particularly important is the history of the cask into which the new whisky is filled. Even the geographical location of the warehouse, its temperature and hu¬midity, affects the way in which the cask and the whisky interact in the long years of ageing.

One of the traditional arts of the Malt Master at The Glenfiddich Distillery on Speyside is the way in which he marries individual casks of mature Glenfiddich whisky to produce an harmonious whole. It is a balancing act based on long ex¬perience and skill seen nowhere to better advantage than in the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, a 15 year old single malt, brought together in the unique So¬lera System, perfected at The Glenfiddich Distillery.

At the heart of the system is the impressive Solera vat, handmade with wood from forests of Europe. As whisky is drawn from the vat, it is replenished with Glen¬fiddich which has been lying in the darkness of the granite warehouse for 15 years and more. Some of this whisky will have matured in casks coopered from European oak, some in American oak, some in Spanish oak barrels or 'barrias' which have already been used to age sherry.

It is the care with which these different casks are selected by the Malt Master at the time of filling and again 15 years later when the whisky is judged to be ready for the Solera which determines the mellowness and the depth of flavour that characterise the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve Single Malt Whisky.

Because the Solera vat is never less than half full, it harbours a reservoir of extremely well matured whisky which mingles subtly with the 15 uears old whiskies from the warehouse.

It is a rite of passage which imparts a special intensity to the Solera Reserve.

The Single Malt is then fed into small Solera tuns where the final stage of marying is completed.

Voor het eerst uitgebracht najaar 1998.

GLENFIDDICH

Over 30 years

43,6 %
VINTAGE RESERVE
PURE SINGLE MALT
LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
' Made Without Compromise'
Laid down in 1967
In Cask Date 6th Mar 1967
Cask No. 3959
Limited Edition
Bottling Date 14 th Sept 1999
Hand Bottled
234 bottles
Bottle No. 35
VERY RARE
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

GLENFIDDICH

12 years old

40 %

CAORAN RESERVE
PURE SINGLE MALT
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

'Caoran' from The Gaelic for Peat Ember, has a distinct peatiness, and lingering, smoky finish.

Glenfiddich Caoran Reserve (pronounced ku - ran) is the revival of a forgotten taste: a bold, powerful, Single Malt Scotch Whisky reminicent of the rugged landscape from which it comes.

The initial smoky aroma and spicy taste develop into a combination of sweet fruit with dis¬tinctive peaty notes and a smooth, lingeringfinish.

The name comesfrom the Gaelic for 'peat ember', reflecting the special character of this malt.

Its inspiration comes from times past when shortages of coal led to greater amounts of local peat being used to dry the malted barley.

This added a distinctive smokiness to the fruit notes so characteristic of Glenfiddich.

Glenfiddich Caoran Reserve is a 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands.

Geintroduceerd in 2003.

GLENFIDDICH

13 years old

40 %

VINTAGE 1991 RESERVE
Fine Aged
Distilled 1991
Bottled 2005
DON RAMSAY -

THE HEAD COOPER
American Oak Casks
225 Casks
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire.

In 1991, Head Cooper Don Ramsay celebrated 30 years at the Glenfiddich Distillery. In order to commemorate the event, Don specially selected and coopered American Oak Casks to be filled with new spirit and left to mature in traditional warehouses. Upon sampling the whisky in these casks, the Malt Master was convinced that while unmistakably Glenfiddich

the whisky had acquired a which the smooth, sweet vanilla character imparted by the American Oak is superbly balanced with cara¬mel toffee and gentle spiciness. The finish is vibrant and long. Unique Richness.

The result is a thirteen year old Glenfiddich in The 1991 Vintage Reserve.

This is a fixed release of 225 casks and cannot be repeated. Savour it and enjoy it.

GLENFIDDICH

21 years old

40 %

GRAN RESERVA
Specially Selected
ESQUISITOS SUPERIORES
A Unique CUBAN RUM FINISH
Matured A Unique Formula
PURE SINGLE MALT RICH AGED
Distilled, Matured & Bottled at
The Glenfiddich Distillery
William Grant & Sons Ltd, Banffshire
STAND FAST
Distilling Single Malt Scotch Whisky
for five Generations

Glenfiddich 21 year old Gran Reserva Single Malt Scotch Whisky completed its maturation in our Cuban Rum Finish casks.

Rum Distillers from Sancti Spiritus near the Sierra Del Escambray in the heart of Cuba, were the instrumental in the creation of the rich Cuban Rum Finish.

Glenfiddich Gran Reserva is a 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands.

The taste of this Cuban Rum Finished Glenfiddich is full and rich, initially a toffee sweetness becoming more drying with spice notes and hints of sweet tobacco and leather.

At the Glenfiddich Distillery casks of Cuban Rum were decanted and 21 Year old Glenfiddich filled into the same casks to take on the unique character.

The 21 Year Old Glenfiddich was ampled routinely by the Glenfiddich Malt Master; bottled only when he was convinced that the flavour, while unmistakably Glenfiddich, had aquirred. a new vibrancy.

Tasting notes:

Nose: intense sweet, floral, floral, hints of banana, figs, fudge toffee, leather and oak.

Taste: initially soft, then brisk, vibrant and drying, peppery, a touch of smoke, oak, lime, ginger and spices.

Finish: very long, warming, dry and spicy.

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 12 years

40 %

TOASTED OAK RESERVE
PURE SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
'Made Without Compromise'
'Limited Edition`
William Grant & Sons Limited,
Dufftown, Banffshire

Our Malt Master of 44 years has crafted this Limited Edition Glenfiddich, matured in gently toasted Anerican Oak casks

giving the whisky a deep golden colour, rich vanilla sweetness balanced with just a hint of spice notes and elegant maple toffee.

GLENFIDDICH

MATURED 14 YEARS

AND THEN

DELICATELY FINISHED IN NEW
AMERICAN & SPANISH OAK TO
CREATE A COMPLEX HARMONY

OF LIVELY FRUIT FLAVOURS AND

FRESH NEW OAK
40 %

Distilled, Matured and Bottled in the
Valley of The Deer
Where the distillery has stood since 1887
William Grant & Sons Limited
Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banfshire

New American:

Initial spicy oak notes followed by vibrant vanilla and deep fruit flavours

New Spanish:

Elegant hints of fruit with a complex nuttiness and a spicy aromatic rich oak finish

2009 Brian Kinsman the 6th Malt Master in the History of Glenfiddich

GLENFIDDICH

2 0 1 0

47.6 %

S N O W PHOENIX
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Distilled and Matured in
The Valley of the Deer
Where the distillery had stood since 1887
Limited Edition Bottling
One of a kind, it will only be bottled
and released in 2010
Non - Chill Filtered
William Grant & Sons
Distilled and Matured at
The Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banfshire.

In January 2010 several warehouses at The Glenfiddich Distillery collapsed

under a huge weight of snow.

I selected the finest casks from the snow damaged warehouses – some had

previously held Oloroso sherry and some were traditional whisky casks made

of American oak. Each was specially chosen to make a unique contribution

to the taste and aroma of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix.

Made by Malt Master Brian Kinsman using a selection of the finest casks res-

cued from the snow damaged warehouses – as we found it – a unique mar-

riage of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies of different ages and finishes.

I came to see the warehouses for myself and, standing amongst the wreckage,

decided to create a special Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky to mask this

moment in the Distillery’s history and recognize the fantastic and difficult work

carried out by the Distillery team.

Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich Malt Master.

Working around the clock at temperatures of 19o C has given us all at The

Glenfiddich Distillery a deep admiration for people who volunteer to work in

these conditions every winter. We have dedicated Snow Phoenix to the

Cairngorn Mountain Rescue Team and are making a special contribution

to their funds to ensure that they continue carrying on their great work in the

heart of Speyside.

Stuart Watts, Glenfiddich Distillery Manager.

GLENFIDDICH SNOW PHOENIX

The Great Warehouse Collapse of 2 0 1 0:

Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix commemorates a moment of drama in the long

History of The Glenfiddich Distillery. It all began in December 2009 when it

started to snow – it kept snowing for several months. After weeks of record

low temperatures and alternate freezing and thawing there were four feet

of densely compacted snow on the distillery roofs.

On the evening of Thursday 7th January, in the most remote part of the snow

covered distillery, some of our warehouse roofs collapsed, ripped open by the

sheer weight of snow, leaving maturing casks of Glenfiddich exposed to the

winter sky. It was as if some of the distillery angels had finished their ‘share’

and had come back looking for more.

In all 4 roofs collapsed and several more were badly damaged.

The distillery engineers calculated that there were 400 kilograms of snow on every square

metre of warehouse roof – the equivalent of a herd of elephants standing

on top of each warehouse.

The Glenfiddich Distillery team immediately swung into action – working around

the clock to clear snow from the distillery and neighbouring warehouses to

make everything safe. Enduring temperatures as low as – 19o C they could

only work for a few hours in the bitter cold before having to go indoors to thaw

out.

Before the rebuilding of the warehouses could start, all the casks of maturing

Glenfiddich had to be moved to other secure places where they could continue

their maturation undisturbed.

I came to see the warehouses for myself and standing amongst the wreckage

decided to create a special Glenfiddich whisky to mark this moment in the

distillery’s history and recognize the fantastic and difficult work carried out by

the distillery team.

To create this whisky I selected the finest casks from the snow damaged ware-

houses – marrying together different ages of mature Glenfiddich – some very

old. Some of these casks had previously held Oloroso sherry and others were

traditional whisky casks made of American oak. Each one was specially chosen

to make a unique contribution to the taste and aroma of the final whisky.

Aside from choosing and marrying these casks, this Glenfiddich is as we found

it: a marriage of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies of different ages and finishes with the strength brought to 47.6 % abv by the addition of the distillery’s

Robbie Dhu spring water. It has not been chill filtered.

We have called it Snow Phoenix – a great Glenfiddich Single Malt born of chance

and adversity. It is a limited edition, one of a kind and will only be bottled in 2010

GLENFIDDICH

30 years old

43 %

CASK SELECTION 00019
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Aged in Oloroso and Bourbon Casks
Distilled, Matured and Bottled at
Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banff - shire

Tasting Notes: Subtle notes of sherry are balanced with rich dark chocolate

flavours creating a sublime whisky of tremendous character

Colour: Rich bronze

Nose: Finely balanced nose , with substantial oakiness matched by fruit and luscious sherry notes

Taste: Complex and seductively woody, emphasized by a floral sweetness

Finis: Exceedingly long, honeyed and warm

Key notes: Sherry, fig and dark chocolate.

GLENFIDDICH

15 years old

51 %

DISTILLERY EDITION
This Exceptional Whisky has been
Matured in American & European
Distilled and Matured in
The Valley of the Deer
Oak for 15 years
Non Chill - Filtration
William Grant & Sons
Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown, Banffshire
Colour; Warm and deep autumnal golden barley

Nose; Delicate floral aromas with hints of freshly ground black pepper and vanilla

Palate: Cremily smooth with floral and spicy notes of black pepper and gentle luscious fruit.

Finish; Lingering, sweet and velvety warm.

GLENFIDDICH

MALT MASTER'S EDITION

43 %

BATCH 0 1 / 1 2

DOUBLE MATURED IN OAK

AND SHERRY CASKS

Distilled and Matured in

The Valley of the Deer

Distilled, Matured and Bottled at

The Glenfiddich Distillery,

Dufftown, Banffshire

GLENFIDDICH

Aged 19 years

40 %

AGE OF DISCOVERY

FIRST EDITION

MADEIRA CASK FINISH

The Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown

This rich and delicious nineteen year old Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky

has been matured in oak casks previously used to age fine Madeira Wine.

The majority of the Madeira casks came from the Canteiro warehouses of Henrique

& Henrique, a famous family – owned Madeira Company established in 1850.

This is were the casks were first used to mature wine made from the luscious Tinta

Negra Mole grapes before being transported to the Glenfiddich Distillery.

Brian Kinsman, the Glenfiddich Malt Master and only the sixth in our history since

the Distillery was built in 1886, has personaly selected the Glenfiddich Scotch

Whiskies used to create this exclusive Glenfiddich Madeira Cask Finish and the

first in our Glenfiddich Age of Discovery range.

Tasting Notes:

A deep earthy aroma of sweet ripe figs and orange marmalade from a backdrop

to bright notes of fresh gooseberries and grape ripening on the vine.

Taste:

Rich and spicy, cinnamon and crushed black pepper rest on a base of deep earthy

notes, caramelized fruits crystallized ginger, raisins and hints of dry oak. The tex-

ture is satisfying, silky smooth – almost oily.

Finish:

Pleasingly dry with warmth that fades into a lingering sweet marmalade finish.

GLENFIDDICH

THE ORIGINAL

40 %

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Inspired by the Original Straight Malt

William Grant & Sons Limited

The Glenfiddich Distillery, Dufftown

Hand build by William Grant & Family

The original is a Recreation of our Historic 1963 Straight Malt.

In 1963, the Whisky World changed forever. Our Family began actively Marketing our “Straight Malt” beyond the UK. Creating The Single Malt Category as it’s known today.

This rare Whisky is an exceptional Recreation of that Original 1963 Glenfiddich Straight

Malt.

Inspired by the pioneering spirit and foresight of SANDY GRANT GORDON, the man

who took our single malt to the world, this rare and historic single malt is an exceptional

recreation of our original 1963 Glenfiddich Straight Malt.

Brian Kinsman, Malt Master.

Whisky pioneers

1963

Sandy Grant Gordon, Father of Single Malt

Our history is full of pioneering moments, but perhaps none more important than when,

in 1963, Sandy, great grandson of our founder, was so proud of our malt that he made

the bold decision to actively market Glenfiddich Straight Malt beyond the UK.

It was a decision that changed the whisky world forever, creating the single malt category

as it’s known today.

Today

Five Generations of Family

Little did WILLIAM GRANT, our founder know as he watched the first pure spirit flow from

his stills on Christmas Day 1887 that Glenfiddich would still be run by his family over five

generations later. Today we’re still as pioneering as ever, a true reflection of the passion

and integrity passed down through our family ever since.

1963

Visionary Craftsman

HAMISH ROBERTSON was the fourth pioneering Malt Master in our history. He created

the original recipe for the Glenfiddich Straight Malt in 1963, and travelled extensively around the world to help launch our single malt alongside SANDY GRANT GORDON.

Today

Modern Innovator

BRIAN KINSMAN became our sixt Malt Master in 2009, bringing a new perspective to the

role. Like those before him, he respects the art and traditions of whisky – making, but a

scientific background allows him to try new things, as seen with Glenfiddich Original.

1963

Our Glenfiddich Straight Malt

Our original Glenfiddich Straight Malt had lots of distinctive sherry spice aromas from the

European oak sherry butts that were predominantly used for maturing Scotch whisky

in the 1960s.

Today

The original recreated

BRIAN KINSMAN has faithfully reproduced the historic taste of Straight Malt by expertly

nosing an original sample, checking the recipe in our 1960 leather – bound ledgers and

then drawing on our unrivalled collection of aged whiskies to recreate the original recipe.

Tasting notes

Our Glenfiddich Original is a true taste of history, with a distinctive fresh and fruity taste.

Nose: A fruity, floral aroma with the hallmark Glenfiddich hint of pear. Subtle oak notes

and a youthful biscuity charcater.

Taste: Pleasantly sweet with lively fruit notes and a soft vanilla oakiness. The flavours

develop with the addition of a little water and reveal delicate spices, citrus and fresh

baked oatcakes.

Finish: Deliciously dry.

This is Glenfiddich Straight Malt Whisky. Most of the Scotch drunk throughout the world

is blended whisky, a mixture of whiskies from as many as forty distilleries. Very good

whisky but quite unlike the traditional Highland Scotches of which Glenfiddich is one of

the most famous. Glenfiddich is the product of a single distillery. Pure. Without the

addition of any other whisky. You should try Glenfiddich soon. It may change your whole

idea of what good whisky should be.

GLENFIDDICH

Est. 1887

EXPERIMENTAL SERIES

I P A EXPERIMENT

43 %

IDIAN PALE ALE CASK FINISH

Zesty and Hoppy

Glenfiich Distillery, Dufftown Banffshire

To Pioneer a New Malt, we created a Craft Beer

In our first groundbreaking experiment, Malt Master Brian Kinsman has proven that tarditional

whisky casks can still be seasoned in a pioneering way. Collaborating with a local Speyside craft

Brewer, Brian created a bold and zesty I P A beer to imbue our rich oak caks with extra hoppy

Notes. The experoment resulted in the first single malt Scotch whisky ever finished in craft I P A

casks.

Speyside Craft. Brewery.

Brian Kinsman from Glenfiddich and Seb Jones from Speyside Craft Brewery

Speyside
GLENFIDDICH also see The BALVENIE, KININVIE.

FRESH, LIGHT, FRUITY

Dufftown, Banffshire. Licentiehouder en eigenaar: William Grant & Sons Ltd.

William Grant (1839 - 1923) leerde de kunst van het distilleren te Mortlach, waar hij twintig jaar werkte voor £ 200 per jaar. Al die jaren spaarde hij, tot hij geld genoeg had om zijn eigen distilleerderij te beginnen.
Hij koos een stuk grond uit bij Dufftown, Glenfiddich genaamd, wat dal van de herten betekent. Er was veel en goed water voorhanden van de Robbie Dubh bron.
Zijn ketels kocht hij tweedehands van Cardhu voor £ 120 en de eerste whisky kwam op eerste kerstdag 1887 uit de ketels.

Grant, zijn vrouw en negen kinderen werkten allemaal mee in de distilleerderij. De whisky werd verkocht als zijnde goed voor medische doeleinden, elk onderdeel van het proces in de distilleerderij stond onder dokter's toezicht. Dit hield in dat Alex, de vierde zoon medicijnen studeerde, maar ook in de distilleerderij werkte.

De eerste grote klapper voor Glenfiddich kwam toen The Glenlivet grotendeels door brand werd verwoest en een grote order niet uit kon voeren. William Grant begon toen een tweede distilleerderij: The Balvenie.

Het bankroet van de Pattison's in 1898 trof veel distillateurs, het antwoord van Grant op de problemen was, alles in eigen hand houden, zelf blenden en zelf ook verkopen. Hij stuurde zijn zwager Charles Gordon naar Engeland om een kantoor op te zetten te Blackburn, Dit was geen succes, na 503 zakelijke bezoeken had hij één kist Glenfiddich verkocht!

Maar Grant ging door en binnen tien jaar had hij vertegenwoordigingen in meer dan dertig landen. In de jaren dertig werd, tegen de trend in, de produktie opgevoerd, in de verwachting dat na beëindiging van de drooglegging in de Verenigde Staten, er weer meer afzet zou komen.

Glenfiddich is één van de grootste distilleerderijen van Schotland met dertig ketels, allen replica's van de eerste ketel die werd gekocht van Cardhu.

De Mash tun is 12 ton.
De 24 Wash backs hebben elk een inhoud van 60.000 liter.
De 10 Wash stills zijn elk groot 9100 liter, de twintig Spirit stills zijn elk 4550 liter groot.
Vijftien ketels worden met kolen gestookt, twee verhit met stoom en dertien worden met gas verhit, maar kunnen ook met kolen worden gestookt.
De ketels hebben allen een electrisch aangedreven rummagers.
Er is een cooperage, een vatenmakerij en een bottelarij met een kapaciteit van 10,2 miljoen flessen per jaar.
Glenfiddich heeft 40 lagerpakhuizen met ongeveer 100 miljoen liter whisky. 10 % van de vaten zijn gebruikte sherryvaten.

William Grant & Sons Ltd, komt de eer toe, in een tijd vansmaakvervlakking en malaise in de whiskyindustrie, als eerste zijn single malt whisky op grote schaal aktief te gaan promoten, dat was in 1961 in het Verenigd Koninkrijk op 3 April..
De driehoekige fles werd in 1957 geintroduceerd. William Grant & Sons Ltd bezit ook de graandistilleerderij te Girvan, gebouwd in 1963. Drie jaar later werd er een malt distilleerderij bijgebouwd, Ladyburn, maar die werd in 1975gesloten.

In Augustus 1990 opende William Grant ' Sons Ltd, Kininvie, een nieuwe malt whisky distilleerderij in de Speyside, en dat wordt gezien in Schotland als een historische gebeurtenis.

Convalmore wordt gekocht in 1990, maar wordt uitsluitend gebruikt als lagerpakhuis.
Gemiddeld ontvangt Glenfiddich 100.000 gasten per jaar, die worden rondgeleid door 50 gidsen.

Glenfiddich is sponsor van:
Glenfiddich Piping Championship, Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship en Glenfiddich Heavyweight
Qualifying Championship, Tossing the cabre, het gooien van boomstammen.

Voorjaar 1999 kregen de Edrington Group en Highland Distillers verschil van mening over het niet of wel aanhouden van de beursnotering van Highland Distillers. September 1999wordt bekend dat Edrington en William Grant & Sons samen Highland Distillers overnemen. De naam van de nieuwe onderneming luidt: The 1887 Company, wat slaat op het stichtingsjaar van Highland Distillers. Edrington verkrijgt 70 %-, William Grant & Sons 30 %'.

Archie, de kat van Glenfiddich sterft op 6 October 2002.

Op 13 Maart 2003, worden een chauffeur en zijn vrachtwagen, geladen met Glenfiddich, Balvenie en Grant's whiskies ontvoerd .De vrachtwagen stond geparkeerd in de omgeving van Lockerbie. De chauffeur werd negen uur later vrijgelaten in Worchestershire, de vrachtwagen, zonder de whisky, en met een waarde van £ 135.000 werd bij Huil teruggevonden.

September 2007:
Glenfiddich krijgt een nieuwe uitmonstering, de driekante fles blijft. Nieuwe slogan is "Every Year Counts"

September 2004
Ter viering van de tewaterlating van de Queen Mary 2, van de Cunard Line, brengt Glenfiddich uit één vat gebottelde Glenfiddich uit, exclusief voor passagiers van de Queen Mary 2 .Er wordt ook een Vintage 1972 botteling uitgebracht, van twee vaten, hiervan werden 519 flessen gebotteld.
GLENFIDDICH SNOW PHOENIX

The Great Warehouse Collapse of 2 0 1 0:
Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix commemorates a moment of drama in the long
History of The Glenfiddich Distillery. It all began in December 2009 when it
started to snow - it kept snowing for several months. After weeks of record
low temperatures and alternate freezing and thawing there were four feet
of densely compacted snow on the distillery roofs.

On the evening of Thursday 7th January, in the most remote part of the snow
covered distillery, some of our warehouse roofs collapsed, ripped open by the
sheer weight of snow, leaving maturing casks of Glenfiddich exposed to the
winter sky. It was as if some of the distillery angels had finished their 'share'
and had come back looking for more.

In all 4 roofs collapsed and several more were badly damaged. The distillery engineers

calculated that there were 400 kilograms of snow on every square metre of warehouse roof -

the equivalent of a herd of elephants standing on top of each warehouse.

The Glenfiddich Distillery team immediately swung into action - working around
the clock to clear snow from the distillery and neighbouring warehouses to
make everything safe. Enduring temperatures as low as - 19o C they could
only work for a few hours in the bitter cold before having to go indoors to thaw
out.

Before the rebuilding of the warehouses could start, all the casks of maturing
Glenfiddich had to be moved to other secure places where they could continue
their maturation undisturbed.

I came to see the warehouses for myself and standing amongst the wreckage
decided to create a special Glenfiddich whisky to mark this moment in the
distillery's history and recognize the fantastic and difficult work carried out by
the distillery team.

To create this whisky I selected the finest casks from the snow damaged ware-
houses - marrying together different ages of mature Glenfiddich - some very
old. Some of these casks had previously held Oloroso sherry and others were
traditional whisky casks made of American oak. Each one was specially chosen
to make a unique contribution to the taste and aroma of the final whisky.

Aside from choosing and marrying these casks, this Glenfiddich is as we found
it: a marriage of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies of different ages and finishes

with the strength brought to 47.6 % abv by the addition of the distillery's
Robbie Dhu spring water. It has not been chill filtered.

We have called it Snow Phoenix - a great Glenfiddich Single Malt born of chance
and adversity. It is a limited edition, one of a kind and will only be bottled in 2010

Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage joins Rare Collection
September 2013
The new edition to Glenfiddich's Rare Collection

William Grant & Sons has released a 125th anniversary edition of its world leading single malt scotch, Glenfiddich.
Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage, is described as one of the Speyside brand's "rarest whiskies ever released" and numbers only 286 bottles.
The whisky, which falls within the brand's Glenfiddich Rare Collection and is priced at £699, has spent 25 years in a ex-sherry oak barrel.
It is available globally to "whisky connoisseurs and prestigious establishments".
Brian Kinsman, malt master at Glenfiddich said: "Bottled from just one European oak sherry cask and testament to the uniqueness of this exclusive whisky, Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage has a cask-strength ABV of 55.2%.
"Glenfiddich has been family run since 1887 and with the freedom of independence and the foresight of long term planning, we have created the largest collection of single malt stock anywhere in the world. It allows to us to create exceptional and fantastic tasting whisky."

Company director Peter Gordon said: "It was an honour to select this whisky. Born of two momentous anniversaries for our distillery, this whisky truly reflects the pioneering spirit that has underpinned our 125 year history and my great-great grandfather's legacy of making 'the best dram in the valley'."
Glenfiddich is the world's best selling single malt scotch, with 1.0m 9-litre case sales in 2012

Glenfiddich solera whiskies continue no-age trend
September, 2013
William Grant & Sons has continued the trend of age-statement free single malt scotch with the release of three solera vat whiskies.
The Glenfiddich Cask Collection whiskies - Glenfiddich Select Cask, Glenfiddich Reserve Cask and Glenfiddich Vintage Cask - have been matured in a variety of oak casks and finished in solera tuns.
According to William Grant & Sons, the solera process marries the whisky together for at least two months, until deemed ready by malt master Brian Kinsman.
The solera technique "guarantees the continuity of the whisky's flavour and taste by ensuring that the tun is never less than half full and is constantly replenished", said the spirits company.
Kinsman said: "These latest additions to our no-age range allow us to offer single malt aficionados the best of both worlds - whiskies crafted for their flavour, alongside whiskies bottled by their age."
Glenfiddich Select Cask is described as "an elegant whisky with layers of sweetness, spice and hints of citrus, matured in hand-selected aged bourbon, European oak and red wine casks to impart a beautifully soft taste".
Glenfiddich Reserve Cask is matured in "Spanish sherry casks used for their mellow and rich flavour characteristics" while Glenfiddich Vintage Cask is matured in European oak and American bourbon casks.
Glenfiddich Select Cask and Glenfiddich Reserve Cask will be available as global travel retail exclusives from this month; Glenfiddich Vintage Cask will be available from early 2014.
The full range will be available across all global travel retail outlets from April 2014.
e Cask is matured in European oak and American bourbon casks.
Glenfiddich Select Cask and Glenfiddich Reserve Cask will be available as global travel retail exclusives from this month; Glenfiddich Vintage Cask will be available from early 2014.
The full range will be available across all global travel retail outlets from April 2014.

Whisky distiller William Grant & Sons yesterday toasted record revenues despite the eurozone debt crisis making 2012 a "challenging year" for the family-owned company.
The Dufftown-based firm, which makes Glenfiddich single malt and Grant's blended Scotch, posted a 1.4 per cent rise in full-year revenues to £1.06 billion. Sales first broke through the £1bn barrier in 2011.
Operating profi

Refurbishing its visitor centres and gearing up for the construction of a distillery in Ireland.

Cash was also pumped into replacing one of the computer systems used by the group, which also makes the Balvenie single malt and the Monkey Shoulder triple malt.
Stella David, chief executive at William Grant, said: "Whilst 2012 saw some difficult global economic conditions, the company continued to perform well thanks to the continued success of our premium spirits brands and our consistent focus on building brand equity and investing for the long term."
Last year saw the launch of the first television advertisements for the company's Sailor Jerry spiced rum brand, while its Hendrick's label "continues to lead the super-premium gin segment with rapid value growth across all regions".

William Grant & Sons, which is owned by the Gordon and Grant families, said that it had also invested in its other spirit brands, including Reyka vodka, Solerno blood orange liqueur and Milagro tequila.
Work began a couple of weeks ago on the construction of the new £29m Tullamore distillery at Clonminch, Co Offaly.
Irish agriculture minister Simon Coveney broke open a cask of Tullamore whiskey to mark the first sod being turned at the site, which will bring production back to Clonminch for the first time since 1954.
William Grant & Sons bought Tullamore in 2010 as part of its €300m (£250m) takeover of C&C Group's spirits business, a year after the Dublin-based drinks group bought Tennent's and its Wellpark brewery in Glasgow from InBev for £180m.

Glenfiddich marked the 125th anniversary last year of the opening of its distillery by filling 11 bottles to celebrate the life of Janet Sheed Roberts, the grand-daughter of the company's founder, William Grant. Roberts died last year aged 110.
The bottles raised more than £400,000 for a group of charities after going under the hammer at various auctions.
Balvenie held a "fête" in Edinburgh's St Andrew Square last week, featuring tastings with its UK ambassador, Andrew Forrester, cooperage displays and chocolate and whisky tasting workshops with Nadia Ellingham, who runs the Thinking Chocolate shop in Edinburgh.
William Grant & Sons' figures come amid a flurry of rising revenues in the spirits industry, as demand for whisky soars in Asia and the United States.

Water: Robbie Dubh Springs
Mash tuns: 1 x 12 tonnes
Wasbacks: 24 x 60.000 litres
Wash stills: 10 x 9000 litres
Spirit stills: 20 x 4500 litres
Output: 13.000.000 litres

December, 2015
William Grant & Sons has announced plans to increase the capacity of its Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside..
The company says the planning application for the multi-million pound expansion has been given the stamp of approval from Moray Council.

Enda O’Sullivan, global brand director of Glenfiddich, said: “As a family owned business it is in our DNA to protect the future and think in the long term. This means managing our stock profile carefully and leading the category through innovation and creativity.

“The expansion plans enable us to help meet these objectives. We are delighted that the plans have been approved and that we can continue to meet the needs of our discerning drinkers all over the world long, long into the future.”

Glenfiddich is Gaelic for valley of the deers.

All of the stills in ‘Stillhouse 2’ remain directly fired (by gas). The size and shape of the stills have not changed since 1886 (see below) which seems to contradict Glenfiddich’s new make character – light, estery, pear and apple-accented. Small stills and direct fire are meant to combine to make a heavy style. Here, however, having an early cut point preserves that delicacy. The number of stills is another clue. More spirit could have been made with a smaller number of stills by widening the cut, but that would have meant that character would have been lost. The only solution was to add more stills.

That delicacy is seen most clearly in the 12-year-old. After that, a steady increase in the amount of ex-Sherry casks used adds increasing layers of fruit and weight but the light notes seen in the new make are never fully lost.

The firm has also pioneered (or maybe revived) a type of solera ageing. This involves a set recipe of mature stock from specific cask types being mingled together in a solera vat which is then never more than half emptied.

The technique was pioneered for the 15-year-old expression and now three more vats have been constructed for the Select, Reserve and Vintage Cask range. The vatting cask for the 40-year-old, containing whiskies from the 1920s, is also never fully emptied. Because none of the vats are fully emptied some of the original whiskies are still contained in the mix, something which adds mouthfeel and harmony to the final whisky.

Indeed, all Glenfiddich undergoes a marrying process – if not in solera vats then in marrying tuns where the component parts are allowed time to meld together. It is time consuming – and expensive – but William Grant & Sons believes it adds quality to the final product.

Burnside

Wardhead

The story of the building of Glenfiddich has the air of a Victorian fairy tale. It was in 1886 that William Grant of Dufftown decided to leave his position as manager of Mortlach and start up on his own. He had saved assiduously and, fortuitously, was starting his project just as Elizabeth Cumming was revamping Cardhu and replacing her old small stills. Along with his wife and nine children, William built his distillery near to the Fiddich river by hand. The first new make trickled out on Christmas Day, 1887. At a time when more distilleries had foundered than succeeded, and those which were being built tended to be bankrolled by brokers, bonders and blenders, his enterprise and stubborn belief was remarkable.

He must have been a talented distiller, for his whole output was soon snapped up by Aberdeen blender and broker William Williams. Within 25 years, the family firm had 63 agencies internationally, proving them with their family blend, ‘Grant’s Standfast’.

The firm is still wholly owned by the Grant family (now in its fifth generation), and has expanded to include three more malt distilleries [Balvenie, Kininvie and Ailsa Bay], a grain plant [Girvan] and other brands such as Monkey Shoulder and Hendrick’s gin.

In 1963, after a dispute over grain supply (which prompted the firm to build the Girvan plant) the decision was made to bottle and promote Glenfiddich as a single malt, the first concerted effort to create a global malt brand. In the late 1960s it was one of the first to be sold in new duty free outlets and in 1969 the distillery’s doors were opened to the public – another first.

Glenfiddich remains the world’s best-selling single

malt with sales in excess of a million cases a year.

1886

William Grant leaves Mortlach and builds

Glenfiddich Distillery. The equipment was

bought from the Cardow (Cardhu) dis -

tillery from Mrs Cumming.

The cost of the construction is 800 pound

William Grant was at that time 46 years old

1887

The stills begin production on Christmas Day

1892

Balvenie is build

1898

Pattisons, the blending company and largest

customer of Glenfiddich files for bankrupty

and Willam Grand decides to blend and sell

their own whisky. Standfast is their major

brand and sold in a clear glass.

1903

The distillery is incorporated as part of

William Grant & Sons,where it remains today

1956

Glenfiddich introduces its iconic triangular bottle, the

Tround, designed by Hans Schleger (1898-1976) who

emigrated to England to escape the anti Semitism in Germany

in the Savoy Hotel November first for Grant's Standard

Blen Stand Fast

1958

The Floor Maltings is closed

1961

Glenfiddich starts as a Straight Malt single malt in the United

Kingdom on 3e April and in the Triangular bottle, and in a

green glass.

1963

The brand becomes the first to be marketed as a

single malt whisky worldwide

1964

Glenfiddich is now bottled in a green glass

1969

Glenfiddich becomes the first Scottish distillery to

open a visitors' centre

1974

A major investment sees 16 new stills installed

2001

The 1965 Vintage Reserve is released as a

limited, edition with 480 bottles and Glen -

fiddich 1937 with 61 bottles is released

2002

Glenfiddich Gran Reserve 21 year old,

Glenfiddich Caoran reserve 12 year old,

and Glenfiddich Rare Collection is

released with 61 bottles

Glenfiddich starts its standard expressio as a 12 years old

2003

Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1973 with

440 bottles is launched

2004

Glenfiddich 13 years Vintage Reserve

1991, Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve

1972 with 440 bottles is released

2005

Glenfiddich upgrades its visitors' centre

for 1.500.000 pound

2006

Glenfiddich 1973 Vintage Reserve 33

yeears old and with 861 bottles and

the Toasted oak 12 year old are re -

leased

2007

A 31 years old Glenfiddich 1871

Vintage Reserve is released

2008

1977 Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve

is released and the bottle is restyled

the Solera Reserve is swiched from a green glass

to a clear glass.

2009

A 50 year old and a 1975 Vintage

Reserve are released

2010

Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix is released

Rich Oak, 1978 Vintage Reserve and

the 6th Edition of the 40 year old are

released

2011

Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1974,

and a 19 year old Madeira Finish

are released

2012

Cask of Dreams and a Millinium

Vintage are rleased

2013

The Cask Collection is launched in duty free

with three different expression, a 19 year

red Wine Finish and the Anniversary 1987

Vintage are released

2014

Glenfiddich 26 year old Excellence, Rare

Oak 25 years, and Glenfiddich Original

are released

2015

A 14 year old for the U.S. market is re -

leased

2016

Glenfiddich Finest Solera is released for

Travel Retail and two expressions in

The Experimental Series Project XX

and IPA Experiment.

2017

Glenfiddich Winter Storm released

2018

Fire and Cane is released in the

Experimental Series

2019

Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 years

and cask 20050 in the Rare Cask

Collection are released

2020

Capacity: 13.700.000 Ltrs

Output: 13.650.000 Ltrs

2020

Gran Cortes 22 year, Grand Couronne 26 year and two Vintages 1975

are released

The Capacity is doubled

Capacity is 21.000.000 Ltrs

2022

The cider finished Orchard is released

CAPACITY (MLPA) i

CONDENSER TYPE i

Shell and tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

60hrs

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

9.5

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam, some direct fired

MALT SUPPLIER i

Various

MASH TUN TYPE i

Semi Lauter

NEW-MAKE PHENOL LEVEL i

Less than 5ppm

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

70.5%

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Onion, lantern

SPIRIT STILL SIZE (L) i

9,500

STILLS i

WAREHOUSING i

Dunnage, racked, palletised

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

11,500

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Various

WASHBACK SIZE (L) i

50,000

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Robbie Dhu Spring

YEAST TYPE i

Liquid yeast

William Grant & Sons

1903 - present

Glenfiddich Distillery Co

1896 - 1903

William Grant

1886 - 1896

September 2017

Glenfiddich has revealed the third edition in its Experimental Series, a single malt Scotch finished in Canadian icewine casks.

Glenfiddich Winter Storm Glenfiddich Experimental Series

Icy touch: Glenfiddich Winter Storm is the third release in the distillery’s Experimental Series

Glenfiddich Winter Storm is a 21-year-old single malt finished for six months in French oak casks previously containing icewine from Peller Estate in Niagara.

Icewine is a style of sweet wine that’s been produced from grapes that have frozen while still on the vine.

When pressed, the frozen grapes deliver a more concentrated amount of sugar, resulting in a very sweet wine.

Having visited the Peller Estate winery in January 2016, Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman experimented with maturing Scotch whisky in several different icewine casks.

He said: ‘Only the rarer whiskies, those aged for 21 years, could cope with the extra icewine intensity.

‘Having more tannins, extracted from years in oak, these malts brought out a uniquely fresh lychee note instead of being swamped by sweetness.’

Craig McDonald, vice-president of winemaking at Peller Estates, said: ‘We go to extreme lengths to produce our intensely sweet icewine and are always looking for ways to push the boundaries of taste, so I was intrigued to see how it could be used to create a new unexpected whisky.

‘The resulting liquid is a unique combination of the warming soul of whisky and the frozen cold of icewine.’

Glenfiddich Winter Storm, which is bottled at 43% abv, is described as having ‘tropical fruit and underlying wine notes’.

Storm in a bottle: Glenfiddich Winter Storm has spent six months in icewine casks

The expression, which is presented in a white ceramic bottle, will be released globally in two batches from 1 October 2017, and March 2018.

It will be available for around £199 per bottle.

It is the third release from the Speyside distillery’s Experimental Series, which launched in September 2016 with Glenfiddich IPA and Glenfiddich Project XX.

The series is designed to ‘push the boundaries of Scotch whisky’ through an exploration of various factors that affect flavour.

GLENFIDDICH UNVEILS LUXURY NAS BACCARAT MALT

September 2017

Glenfiddich is to introduce a luxury range of whiskies in collaboration with Baccarat, as part of its Cask Collection series in duty free.

Glenfiddich Cask Collection Finest Solera

French connection: Glenfiddich Cask Collection Finest Solera comes in a hand-blown Baccarat decanter

The first edition to be unveiled is the new Glenfiddich Cask Collection Finest Solera, a no-age-statement expression that will be available for around £1,950.

The expression was created by Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman, who married whiskies matured in American oak casks for at least two months using Glenfiddich’s solera-vatting process.

The solera process of simultaneously maturing and blending different cask liquids into a consistent flavour is one that has been used most commonly in Sherry production, rum and occasionally whisky – including Glenfiddich’s 15-year-old.

A 2,000-litre tun was used to hold single malt from 20 casks, with only half of the liquid removed at any time, before being replenished with fresh casks.

With new casks used for refilling the solera tun, Glenfiddich said every batch will differ.

Glenfiddich Cask Collection Finest Solera i collar, plus red cartouche made with 24-carat gold – hand-blown by French glassware specialist Baccarat.

Bottled at 48% abv, it is said to have notes of ‘luxurious oak and sweet crème brûlée flavours… with soft spices, raw cane sugar and caramelised fruit’.

The expression, of which only 600 decanters have been created, is available now in exclusively travel retail outlets globally.

DAVID STEWART MBE

From his humble beginnings as a whisky stocks clerk at William Grant & Sons to his long tenure as Balvenie malt master, David Stewart can look back on a 55-year career, including his exploration of double cask maturation during the 1980s and 1990s. He talks about his life’s work and recalls some of the fine (and not-so-fine) finishes created along the way.

Malt master: David Stewart’s DoubleWood 12 Year Old ‘put Balvenie on the map‘Good appearance. Appears to be the solid type. Would do.’

The year is 1962, and a 17-year-old David Charles Stewart is being interviewed for a job as a whisky stocks clerk at William Grant & Sons. And, while the notes made in that interview may not be the most laudatory assessment of a prospective employee, they somehow fit the man himself – steadfastly humble and modest, despite the many highlights of a remarkable 55-year career that culminated in the award of an MBE last year.

‘I think it was the chief accountant who interviewed me first of all,’ Stewart recalls. ‘I didn’t start off thinking I would ever become a blender. I just started off as a clerk in the whisky stocks team.’

After two years counting casks, Stewart began to become acquainted with their contents. ‘I was lucky in that my boss [Hamish Robertson] was the master blender. Within a couple of years of me working, he started to bring me into the sample room.

‘I just started to nose the whiskies that were coming through. There weren’t that many in those days, but Girvan distillery had just opened in 1964. We had Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries; there was [blended Scotch] Grant’s Standfast.

‘Then Glenfiddich started [as a single malt] in 1964. Gradually I was seeing more and learning more and more from [Hamish], and then he left in 1974. I was just left to get on with running the place after 10 years with the whisky.’

We’ll move onto what was involved in ‘getting on with running the place’ in a moment. But first, consider the timing of Stewart’s entry into Scotch whisky: the birth of Glenfiddich as a single malt and, with it, the creation of a new commercial category at a time when blends were all-powerful. While his initial involvement with it was minimal, the seismic forces which Glenfiddich set in motion were to shape his career.

Stewart acknowledges the significance of this new era of single malt, but plays it down in characteristic fashion. ‘Yes, the [Grant] family took a big risk in bottling Glenfiddich at the start,’ he says. ‘But in the big scheme of things, single malt is still pretty small. I mean, it’s 15% of industry sales – we still rely on blended whiskies like Johnnie Walker, J&B and Grant’s.’

Nonetheless, the journey of single malt – reflecting and punctuating Stewart’s own career – has been long and eventful since that first consignment of Glenfiddich headed south in 1964. It’s a development encapsulated by the evolution of Balvenie, the Speyside single malt for which Stewart remains responsible in his semi-retirement (Brian Kinsman took over his broader company duties in 2009).

‘When Glenfiddich was launched, it was 10 years before Balvenie – Glenfiddich was 1963, 1964, I think,’ recalls Stewart. ‘So not that I was terribly involved at that stage, but I knew about it, I saw samples coming into the sample room.

‘I think it was the family again who, 10 years later, thought: “Well, we’ve got this great whisky at Balvenie.” With Glenfiddich, the single malt market started opening up. Glenfiddich probably had almost 10 years with very little competition.

Revolutionary move: Stewart’s development of double maturation helped shape modern single malts

‘It wasn’t until the 1970s when Macallan came along, The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie and others. At that stage we thought: “Well, let’s bottle Balvenie.” We put it into a triangular bottle because that’s what we were used to very much at Glenfiddich. In 1973, we launched it at eight years old – Glenfiddich was eight as well and generally quite a lot of single malts that were around at that time were eight. It wasn’t a problem.’

How does he remember that whisky? ‘You still see the odd bottle. I tasted it at The Craigellachie Hotel just last week – they’ve got a bottle there. It was very nice, to be fair. It would be from maybe more European oak then than now, because it would be back to the 1960s for the whisky that was in that bottle. So it was quite rich-tasting, was the eight.’

Evolution followed: a move to a long-necked, Cognac-style bottle, a shift to a 10-year-old age statement. Then, in 1993, came a launch that was, in the man’s own assessment, the highlight of Stewart’s career: Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years Old.

‘That’s the one that I’m probably most proud of, just because that’s what put Balvenie on the map, and that’s really when Balvenie sales started to become what they are today,’ Stewart says.

DoubleWood’s DNA – aged in American oak, then ‘finished’ in Sherry wood – can be traced back a decade to the early 1980s and Stewart’s pioneering work on extra maturation. What is routine and commonplace in whisky today was then revolutionary – but, perhaps even more remarkably, nobody talked about it.

‘No, it wasn’t marketed as a “finish” then, it was just we wanted to create something a bit different [Balvenie Classic] from the Founder’s Reserve,’ admits Stewart. ‘What would happen if we recasked whisky from American oak to European oak? That produced the Classic and the Classic variants.

‘We were delighted because Sherry wood does add richness, spiciness and complexity and colour – and just a bit more flavour to the whisky. We knew that something was going to happen.’

Spirit clash: Experiments with spirit finishes, such as Cognac and Armagnac, did not work

For all DoubleWood’s success – next year marks its 25th anniversary – it’s still sometimes misunderstood, Stewart adds. ‘People think that a lot of the flavour in the DoubleWood is coming from the Sherry, which it’s not really – it’s coming from the wood, because the wood is only two years old.

‘It’s a two-year-old, brand-new, European oak cask that we use every time for DoubleWood. So a lot of that spiciness is wood spiciness and malt spiciness that gets into the whisky, whereas if you look at Madeira and Port [finishes], most of the flavour there is the Madeira, the Port, because the casks are much older.’

DoubleWood, Portwood, Madeira Cask, Caribbean Cask – a pioneering production line of Balvenie ‘finishes’ that was born in that fertile period of experimentation. But if the malt’s history is written by the winners, the losers can be just as educational in their own way.

‘We tried quite a number,’ Stewart recalls. ‘We tried other spirits like brandy, for example, and Cognac and Armagnac, and they didn’t work for us. The two spirits just kind of fought with each other and there was a clash between the two.

‘We tried a number of wines – maybe not always the right wines, and maybe they weren’t always sweet enough. The ones we did try were Californian wines – white and red – because they were easy to get, but they didn’t really work for us. They didn’t really change the whisky all that much.’

Blended away, a cask at a time, into William Grant’s older blends, only the chastening memory of these failed experiments remains. ‘That’s probably the beauty of our company,’ says Stewart. ‘If it doesn’t work, then we’re not forced to bottle it.’

If there’s a general conclusion to be drawn from this feverish period of innovation, it’s that a relatively rich malt such as Balvenie needs something extra – sweetness, fortification – in a wine cask. ‘That could be,’ Stewart agrees. ‘We’ve got one or two in our warehouse – a Sauternes or Barsac, or a Marsala – to try and see if they might give us something for the future.’

Peat week: Stewart has overseen the release of a new smoky Balvenie bottling

From past and future, back to the present. The reason we’re talking in the first place is the launch of Balvenie Peat Week, the second of two peated variants launched by the distillery this year.

First discussed as long ago as 2001, the whisky is the result of an annual week of peated runs through the distillery, beginning in 2002. ‘We use peat in our bottlings at Balvenie anyway, but it doesn’t show through particularly in any of the expressions,’ says Stewart.

‘At first, we didn’t really know what we were going to do with it, we just thought it was good to have it… We’ve not used it all, we’ve held stock back, so we might decide to do a 17, or a 21. And I know someone was joking about having a 50-year-old…’

But anyone expecting a Speyside take on a super-peated Islay malt will be confounded. ‘It was peated to 30ppm [phenol parts per million], but that’s the barley itself, and when it translates into the bottle, it’s only 5-6ppm,’ points out Stewart.

‘We didn’t want to dominate the Balvenie style. We wanted it still to be very much Balvenie, but to have this little bit of smokiness. And it’s Speyside peat, it’s from Aberdeenshire, so it’s quite different from the Islay peat. That’s more kind of medicinal, but this is a softer kind of smokiness – more in the background.’

Stewart also resists suggestions that Peat Week is some kind of gimmick that risks compromising distillery character. ‘Balvenie has been peated – we used peated malt back in the 1930s and 1940s and I’ve seen some of that whisky in my time with the company,’ he points out. ‘The style would be quite different moving back – it would be quite smoky.’

What’s in the glass reflects Stewart’s carefully chosen words and, in a deeper sense, the character of the man as well. Peat not as a dominant force, but as a seasoning, happy to play an accompanying role and to allow the character of the distillate to shine through.

Substance over style, continuity of character above short-term show. Every master blender has his or her own unique way of doing things but, in the end, it’s the whisky they produce that creates their legacy, and that speaks most loudly to the world.

WILLIAM GRANT

The creator of Scotch whisky’s biggest family-owned business was a tenacious, no-nonsense individual who walked 12 miles to buy the equipment for his first distillery, Glenfiddich. Gavin D Smith tells his story.

William Grant at Mortlach, 1896

William Grant he left Mortlach in 1886 to establish Glenfiddich

The story of William Grant may be seen as a classic Victorian rags-to-riches tale, fuelled by a shrewd business brain, self-sacrifice and self-confidence, with a dash of good luck thrown in. However, the more one discovers about the driven, determined nature of Grant, the more it seems he would have found a way to succeed at any point in history.

William Grant was born in the village of Dufftown in Banffshire in 1839. What is now considered the ‘malt whisky capital’ of Scotland then boasted just one distillery, Mortlach, which was to play its part in the rise of William Grant from cobbler to whisky magnate.

His parents were William and Elizabeth, aged 55 and 26 respectively when he was born and, at the age of seven, William began to earn his keep by herding cattle. His education, at Mortlach School, was confined to the winter months, when the cattle were brought close to the farm for shelter.

On leaving school, William was apprenticed to a Dufftown shoemaker, and he married local girl Elizabeth Duncan in 1859. A year later, John, the first of their 11 children, was born (although two died in infancy).

In 1863, Grant decided to leave his shoemaking trade and became clerk of the Tiniver Lime Works at Crachie, on the outskirts of Dufftown. However, a quarrel between the two owners of the works saw Grant’s loyalties divided, and he decided to seek alternative employment again, becoming clerk at Mortlach distillery in September 1866.

He was soon carrying out the role of unofficial manager at Mortlach, and owner George Cowie recognised his contribution by formally appointing him to that position.

Grant joined the local Volunteer Movement, and it was typical of his tenacity, self-belief and organisationa non-professional soldier in peace time.

He came close to setting up his own lime business, before deciding to establish himself as a distiller in his own right. This was an extremely ambitious idea for a man with a salary of less than £100 a year and young children for whom to provide, but the family scrimped and saved every penny possible.

Grant’s dream of creating his own distillery became a reality when, early in 1886, he heard that the old distilling plant at Cardow (now Cardhu) distillery was to be sold off. He walked the dozen miles to Cardow in order to make an offer, and was able to acquire everything for the bargain price of £119 19s 10d.

He already knew exactly where he wanted to build his distillery – a field just north of Dufftown, through which a burn ran to its nearby confluence with the River Fiddich.

This field was called Glenfiddich, from the Gaelic for ‘valley of the deer’, and Grant was able to obtain a lease for the land, subsequently resigning from his post at Mortlach in September 1886.

Glenfiddich distillery

Field of dreams: William Grant's location of Glenfiddich distillery was a deliberate choice

The Glenfiddich foundation stone was laid in the late autumn of 1886 and, along with William himself, the Grant family workforce for the Glenfiddich project consisted of his sons William (23), James (21), Alexander, or Alec (19), George (17) and Charles (14).

Where possible, stones from the bed of the River Fiddich were used, but for larger structures, such as the warehouse and malt barn, stone was purchased from the local quarry. The construction of these larger buildings was supervised by a professional mason, with labouring duties undertaken by Grant’s sons.

Work went on through the summer of 1887, and the first spirit flowed on Christmas Day of that year, with Grant’s sons undertaking many of the whisky-making duties. The total cost of creating Glenfiddich distillery and getting to the point where spirit was flowing amounted to slightly in excess of £800, a remarkably modest sum, even for the time.

Glenfiddich soon proved a great success, with its ‘make’ being widely praised and sought-after by blenders. Accordingly, the Grant family decided to create a second distillery on land adjacent to Glenfiddich during 1892/93, when the Scotch whisky boom was at its height. Called Balvenie, it was built around the uninhabited mansion of Balvenie New House, formerly one of the residences of the Duke of Fife.

The Grants now owned two distilleries producing malt whisky, but it was the collapse of their largest customer, the Leith blending firm of Pattisons Ltd, in December 1898 that led William and his family to begin blending in their own right, going on to establish valuable export markets in many countries.

Various names were given to Grants’ early blends, but the one that proved most successful was Stand Fast, which was inspired by the slogan of Clan Grant – ‘Stand fast Craigellachie!’ The name remained in use until the 1980s, when it was replaced by Grant’s Family Reserve.

By the time William Grant died on 5 January 1923, aged 83, the company he had established was a profitable and secure enterprise. Grant had last chaired a directors’ meeting at Glenfiddich in 1913, and had been confined to his bed for a decade. He had been getting progressively weaker during the months prior to his death, though the indomitable spirit that had achieved so much remained intact almost to the end.

Shortly before his death, his son John wrote in his diary:...had a long talk to my father re new wash-still charger, and new malt barn at Balvenie; Glenfiddich malt mill etc.’

John Grant then added in italics: ‘...he warned me to go on at once and not delay repairs.’

William Grant was buried in Mortlach Churchyard, just across the River Dullan from the former family home at Hardhaugh, and opposite the grave of his father.

Son John took over as company chairman, and the spirit of independence, determination and innovation that William had so cherished remains intact to this day.

William Grant & Sons Ltd is the largest independent, family-owned operation in the Scotch whisky industry, with many diversified international drinks interests. Grant's Family Reserve is now the fourth best-selling blended Scotch globally, while Glenfiddich is the second biggest single malt brand in the world.

BRIAN KINSMAN

There was never a doubt in Brian Kinsman’s mind that he’d pursue a career in science: he just expected to be in dentistry, not whisky. The Glenfiddich malt master and William Grant & Sons master blender tells how his chemistry background makes his job easier – and what on earth SPPM means.

Science meets nature: Brian Kinsman marries a scientific approach to whisky to a natural flair for sensory evaluation

It’s been six years since Brian Kinsman inherited the roles of malt master at Glenfiddich and master blender at William Grant & Sons, yet the comparisons between himself and his predecessor, David Stewart, persist.

Perhaps it’s down to the remarkable legacy left by Stewart, or that the fate of one of the world’s best-selling single malt whiskies has passed into Kinsman’s hands. For some, Stewart represents one of the last of a dying breed of master distillers – craftsmen who started at the bottom of the ladder as wee youngsters, learning their trade as apprentice coopers or mashmen over decades as they worked their way up.

Stewart’s dedication to a life in Scotch whisky with William Grant – he joined the group as a 17-year-old whisky stocks clerk in 1962 and, at the age of 72, is still malt master of Balvenie – earned him an MBE earlier this year.

Kinsman, however, represents a new generation of distillers with scientific backgrounds who, armed with degrees and PhDs, are challenging the industry’s approach to Scotch whisky innovation.

‘Almost all the companies’ blenders of my generation have got chemistry backgrounds, while most of David’s didn’t,’ he says. ‘Our routes of working through the company are almost the same, as I started as a chemist doing very routine work too, but there’s a much closer link between the labs and blending side now.’

The advantage of having lab experience, he claims, is the knowledge of almost every part of the business – day-to-day analysis from the distillery, complaints from the marketplace, new product development and so on. ‘It would be hard to come into this area now and not have any experience with the chemistry side,’ he adds. ‘Even the industry knowledge has moved on so much.’

It’s the quiet season in Dufftown, but a beautiful spring morning when we meet at Glenfiddich’s Malt Barn. Kinsman, normally based in Glasgow, is in town for an annual workshop with the group’s global brand ambassadors. The idea is that he fills them in on new developments within the portfolio and they, in turn, repeat them to their respective markets so he doesn’t have to.

‘I don’t want to travel the world; I want to be here making the product,’ he says. Considering his remit, it’s not difficult to understand why Kinsman is happy hunkering down in his lab. As well as overseeing quality control for Glenfiddich and Grant’s, he is responsible for the blending operation of the entire group, including Tullamore DEW, Kininvie, Monkey Shoulder and its most recent portfolio addition, Ailsa Bay.

As a blender, Kinsman can sometimes nose up to 200 whisky samples every day

The Lowlands distillery was built in 2007 on the site of the Girvan grain plant, but has only now released its first bottling – a no-age-statement release embodying more than one innovation.

In essence, Ailsa Bay is Kinsman’s own experimental distillery, where he plays around with peating levels – the phenol content of which is always measured in the spirit, not necessarily the barley – cut points, stainless steel condensers and micro-maturation, using 50-litre Baby Bourbon casks sourced from Tuthilltown Spirits in New York.

Might we see some of these casks used to mature Glenfiddich and Balvenie in the future? ‘Yeah, you’ve got to try stuff,’ Kinsman confirms. ‘We have a huge number of things we try that don’t go anywhere, and once or twice they end up being a product.’

He may support experimentation, but Kinsman is strict about what ends up in the public domain. ‘Innovation just to throw out another product with another flavour is not a good thing,’ he says. ‘There has to be a good story to tell and rationale. The acid test for me is if I’m happy to stand up and speak about it at a press launch. If not, we wouldn’t do it.’

One ‘innovation’ he is willing to speak about is the quantification of SPPM (sweet parts per million), a measurement of flavour compounds typically perceived as being sweet, such as vanillin. It’s a tool William Grant’s lab team have used to quantify sweetness for some time, but Ailsa Bay is the first example of it being printed on a bottle as a flavour signifier.

Kinsman admits he didn’t initially consider the team’s use of SPPM particularly significant as ‘it’s just something we do’. Does he think consumers are going to be as interested in a whisky’s SPPM as they would in its PPM (phenol parts per million)?

‘I have no idea,’ he shrugs. ‘For the massive enthusiasts who are interested in those numbers it will resonate a bit, but to be honest if they don’t like it or aren’t interested it almost doesn’t matter – it’s just a number.’

Tools of the trade: Aside from his nose, Kinsman claims his most important aid is logic, particularly when so many samples are involved

From a young age, Kinsman knew science would be his life. ‘I always liked science, and it turned out I was able to get good results without trying too hard, and that was quite important to me,’ he smiles. He studied chemistry at the University of St Andrews, and began a PhD while working as a development chemist with a dentistry company.

‘I looked at new materials for tooth fillings, impression materials, and crown and bridge work, which was actually quite interesting from a chemist perspective,’ he says earnestly. But, disillusioned with dentistry, he dropped out of his PhD and found a job as a chemist with William Grant, despite having ‘no deep burning desire to get into whisky’, as he admits. ‘I could see it was a good industry to be in with size, scale and opportunities. Though I realised I had made a good move within about three hours of starting.’

It may not have been his first choice of career, but as a Scotsman Kinsman was no stranger to whisky. ‘It was piping, you see, that’s the problem. It leads you astray.’

Turns out that this dark horse was a junior World Pipeband Champion with the Craigmount High School bagpipe band in 1990, and later played for the legendary Drambuie band. ‘It’s come full circle now because we now do Drambuie here,’ he says fondly.

Although he’s stopped playing now, Kinsman still prizes his first set of bagpipes, bought with the proceeds from busking on the streets of Edinburgh when he was just 17. ‘I was a bit of a wimp and only busked in the summer with a borrowed set of pipes. It was great; I was getting paid to practise basically. You could do all right from it – though I better not say for tax purposes,’ he grins.

The role of a whisky chemist is never something brand teams communicate to consumers, so what does one do? ‘My original job involved taking samples of new-make spirit every day from all the stills, doing the chemical analysis on it, finding out what congeners are in there, and also doing sensory analysis.’

It turned out Kinsman was pretty good at nosing samples, and he was soon invited to join the William Grant & Sons sensory panel. From there, he was approached to become Stewart’s apprentice.

The ability to understand the chemistry behind the whisky is something Kinsman appreciates when he spots something he’s created on the shelf. ‘You know all the little chinks of what we’ve done to make it taste the way it tastes,’ he explains. However, he admits that once a new creation leaves the lab, he feels a sense of detachment.

‘I think of whisky in the lab as quite analytical and almost quite deep – you’re into all those little nuances and details so much that you don’t enjoy it as a product. It’s actually quite nice to drink whisky as a consumer and just enjoy it, and that’s when you see it in a slightly different light.’

Kinsman has been part of the whisky fabric for 20 years now and, along with the rest of his colleagues, has seen interest in Scotch increase rapidly. With that increase, though, he says the industry must do a better job of ensuring consumers, particularly connoisseurs, are educated properly.

‘We get to know the connoisseurs, which is great, but underneath that there’s a massive void of knowledge about the product,’ he says. ‘It never fails to amaze me that you can do some tastings with people who should know a lot about whisky, and actually find some pretty glaring mistruths or misunderstandings. The idea is those connoisseurs act as ambassadors themselves, but there’s a lot of work to be done on the story-telling.’

It’s this miscommunication that concerns Kinsman about any move to legalise transparency in Scotch – allowing the publication of which casks go into a vatting. ‘I like the idea, but I worry about the lack of knowledge. Some people would absolutely get it, but if you make it available to a wide consumer base that doesn’t, then suddenly it doesn’t make sense. I also slightly worry that we will over-communicate whisky and make it too transparent, whereby you lose some of the richness of whisky itself.’

Rather poignantly, at this point one of the visitor centre supervisors lights a fire in the hearth next to where we’re sat. The distillery is about to welcome its first visitors of the day, but before Kinsman departs I want to know – will he still be working at Glenfiddich when he’s 72?

He laughs. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever catch up with David, and I don’t think I want to. I hope I’ll retire long before I get to that point, though you never know. It’s a great job and very interesting, but I’d like to do something else eventually, whatever that may be.’

I have a feeling those bagpipes may come in handy again one day.

Brian Kinsman on...

His most vibrant whisky memory:

'A party we held for David Stewart’s 50th year in the industry in the Balvenie maltings. All sorts of people from across the industry, his past and his family were there, as were the Grant-Gordon family. It was such a nice night, but it was over in a flash. It reminded me of the friendly part of the industry, which is most of it, because all the blenders from all the companies were there.'

The most difficult aspect of being a blender:

'Getting caught up in thinking about the pressure too much. Ultimately you’re making the final call on if a liquid is right or wrong, and these brands are worth an awful lot of money, so I can’t think about it. You concentrate on doing your bit of the job. If you step back and think of the enormity of the value of the brand, then that could become a little bit overwhelming.'

NAS:

'I’m a supporter of NAS so long as they’re done properly and so long as you lead with flavour and you have a rationale. I do like the fact you can experiment in a way you can’t with age statements. You can get a genuine vibrancy from a young whisky that you can overlay on top of something that has a depth you wouldn’t otherwise get from a young whisky. You can come up with genuinely new flavours and, as long as it’s done for that reason, I’m quite supportive of it.'

Coping with nosing overload:

'As long as you do it in flights, and rarely more than 20-30 at a time, and as long as you take a break and do something else, it’s fine. Some people say the morning is better for nosing, but needs must and I have to do it in the afternoon too because I can’t fit everything into the morning. So long as you have a sensible approach to it, you can still be nosing by 6pm at night and it’s not a problem.'

GLENFIDDICH IN SUMMER HIGHBALL CAMPAIGN

March 2018

Speyside single malt Glenfiddich is encouraging drinkers to combine its whisky with soda as part of a new mixer movement championing the Highball this summer.

Man holding Highball

Refresher course: Glenfiddich is encouraging drinkers to mix its whisky with soda

The Glenfiddich Highball, pairing Glenfiddich 12 Year Old and soda with a lemon twist over ice, was created by Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman and celebrates the marriage of whisky and soda, a combination ‘first explored in 1890’.

Glenfiddich recommends using ‘high-quality soft-spring carbonated water’ in the serve, providing a drink that is ‘cool and light on the palate’, with the premium soda acting as ‘the perfect foil for the whisky’s fruity notes’.

‘We see an increasing trend in people seeking a whisky-based aperitif as the perfect kick-off to a social event,’ said Lulu Fedi, head bartender at Gleneagles’ American Bar and a collaborator on the Glenfiddich Highball movement.

‘Glenfiddich Highball answers that call, bringing something premium in style, but full of refreshing simplicity.’

In order to promote the drink, Glenfiddich has installed a custom-created ‘Glenfiddich Highballer’, a machine that dispenses Highballs, at Oriole Bar in Smithfield Market in London.

The Highballer will travel around London throughout the summer to promote the Glenfiddich serve once its residency at Oriole is finished next month

GLENFIDDICH AROMA LAB UNVEILED AT HARRODS

May 2018

Shoppers visiting London department store Harrods can now identify their ‘perfect’ whisky, thanks to a sensory experience which uses aroma to direct customers to different Glenfiddich expressions.

Glenfiddich aroma lab

Speyside smell: Glenfiddich has taken up permanent residence in London department store Harrods

The Glenfiddich Aroma Lab, which is a permanent addition to the store’s Fine Wines and Spirits Rooms, uses six different aromas developed specially for Glenfiddich to pinpoint a shopper’s ‘ideal whisky style’.

The scents – light and dark oak, fresh and dried grass, and fresh and dried fruit – were created by malt master Brian Kinsman and Experimental Perfume Club creative director Emmanuelle Moeglin.

‘Through partnering with Glenfiddich and the combination of our expertise in scent and whisky, we have been able to design a beautiful multi-sensory experience,’ said Moeglin.

The fragrance notes create a ‘personal palate’ which corresponds to one of 14 Glenfiddich whiskies stocked in Harrods, with prices for individual bottles ranging from £36 to £22,850.

Sven Rutherford, Glenfiddich UK brand ambassador, said: ‘Collaboration is intrinsic to Glenfiddich and we’re delighted that we’re able to bring Brian and Emmanuelle’s unique sensory activation to life in one of the world’s most iconic stores.’

A similar experience was already installed in Harrods’ wine rooms, with scents directing customers to a wine that best suits their personal preferences

GLENFIDDICH FIRE & CANE UNITES PEAT AND RUM

July 2018

Glenfiddich has launched Fire & Cane, a peated single malt finished in rum casks, as the fourth release in its Experimental Series.

Glenfiddich Fire & Cane

Smoky and sweet: Glenfiddich Fire & Cane is the distillery’s first peated malt finished in rum casks

Described as ‘the whisky experiment that will divide you’, Glenfiddich Fire & Cane is a lightly peated, no-age-statement single malt that’s been matured in ex-Bourbon casks before being finished in ‘Latin-style’ rum casks for several months.

Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman chose an ‘earthy, richer’ rum than the Caribbean style used to finish the Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva, in order to balance the rum and peat notes.

Jennifer Wren, Glenfiddich US brand ambassador, said the rum used is a blend from various regions including the Caribbean and South America.

‘The rum we use for our 21-year old was too light and delicate to hold up against the peat,’ she said.

‘Brian sought out a blended rum that was more musty and goaty, and had a big personality, because otherwise the rum notes were getting lost.’

The whisky, which is bottled at 43% abv, is described as having a ‘toffee sweetness’ with a ‘campfire smokiness’.

While the expression is the first peated Glenfiddich finished in rum casks, Fire & Cane is not the first peated malt from the Speyside distillery.

In 2003 the distillery released Glenfiddich Caoran, a lightly peated 12-year-old single malt, as a UK exclusive.

Ten years later the brand introduced the peated Vintage Cask as part of its global travel retail range, while the Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary edition, released in 2012, also contained peated malt.

Wren added: ‘This is another example of how we are leading the pack on innovation, which is always the goal of what we do.

‘Glenfiddich sits in this very traditional space, but we’re also not afraid to take risks. With every new Experimental edition we’re just pushing that boundary a little bit farther.’

Glenfiddich Fire & Cane will be available to buy in the US from July, and in the UK from October for around US$50/ £43 a bottle.

It joins Glenfiddich Project XX and IPA Experiment as part of the brand’s on-going Experimental Series.

Last year’s Glenfiddich Winter Storm, a 21-year-old single malt finished in Canadian icewine casks, was a limited edition part of the range.

2018: the 2 still rooms hold a total of 11 wash stills and twenty spirit stills, the stills in still room 2 are direct fired using gas.

Output now 13.65 litres of pure alcohol.

LATEST NEWS

GLENFIDDICH LOSES LABEL TRADEMARK BATTLE

April 2019 Glenfiddich has lost a trademark dispute against an Indian beverage company accused of copying the Speyside distillery’s label.

Like for like?: Glenfiddich claimed the Glenfield label shared too many similarities with its own

Vivek Anasane wished to expand his Mumbai-based drinks company into the UK, with the launch of his Glenfield blended Scotch whisky.

Anasane filed a trademark application for Glenfield’s label, however William Grant & Sons, which owns Glenfiddich, opposed the move.

The distiller and blender, which is the biggest independent whisky company in Scotland, stated that the Glenfield trademark was ‘visually and phonetically highly similar’ to Glenfiddich’s labelling.

Both labels feature green and gold colouring, as well as a stag logo and traditionally styled fonts.

William Grant & Sons continued to argue that as the products were similar, consumers were likely to confuse the two brands, giving Glenfield an unfair benefit and causing detriment to the reputation of Glenfiddich, ‘particularly if the goods offered are of a lower quality than the opponent’s goods’.

Anasane denied William Grant & Sons’ claims, stating no one could trademark the word ‘glen’ as it traditionally refers to ‘a narrow valley, especially in mountain [sic]’.

The businessman also included a list of companies that already use the term ‘glen’ in their trademarks.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which handles trademark disputes, ruled in Anasane’s favour.

Mark Bryant, the trademark hearing officer for the case, stated the average member of the ‘whisky drinking public’ would pay a ‘normal level of care and attention during the purchasing process’, and would be unlikely to confuse Glenfiddich and Glenfield.

Bryant explained: ‘When considering the marks as a whole, I am of the view that the applicant’s mark will not even bring the opponent’s mark to mind let alone confuse the consumer into believing that the goods sold under the respective marks originate from the same or linked undertaking’.

Anasane stated in the application that his business was established in 2017, and had since built a reputation for itself in India.

Coralie Vial, William Grant & Sons’ global brand manager, explained in a witness statement for the IPO hearing that the Glenfiddich branding has been used in the UK since 1960, and provided articles demonstrating the distillery’s 30% share of the worldwide market for single malt whisky.

William Grant & Sons has been contacted for further comment.

The use of the term ‘glen’ has been a recent point of dispute in Scotch whisky.

In February 2019, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) won a trademark dispute against a German whisky, Glen Buchenbach, for using the term on its bottles.

The SWA won the six-year legal battle, arguing use of the term by a non-Scottish whisky was ‘misleading’ to the consumer, and infringed on Scotch whisky’s protected geographical indication (GI) status.

The first impression of Glenfiddich is that of its scale. This 35 hectare site contains a cooperage, coppersmith, bottling lines, a vast warehousing complex and two stillhouses containing 28 stills – by some distance the largest number in Scotland. This is malt whisky making on a huge scale.

Today, Glenfiddich remains the world’s best-selling single malt with sales in excess of a million cases a year.

GLENFIDDICH RELEASES TAIWAN WINE CASK MALTS

August 2019

Speyside distillery Glenfiddich has released two new limited edition expressions in its Spirit of Taiwan range, a pair of 26-year-old whiskies finished in Vino Formosa Rosso Taiwanese wine casks.

Glenfiddich Black Queen Vino Formosa Rosso Cask Finish and Ice Breaker

Sweet things: Glenfiddich Black Queen and Ice Breaker have both been finished in Taiwanese wine casks

The whiskies, named Black Queen and Ice Breaker, have been matured in American oak casks for 25 years before a 14-month secondary maturation in two ex-red wine casks from the Shu-Sheng Domaine winery in Taiwan.

James Chan, Glenfiddich Taiwan brand ambassador, said: ‘We took the original Glenfiddich as the core [of the whiskies] and chose a more mature year to “interact” with the wine cask – and it produced flavours that are unique and incredibly sweet.’

Although both casks were seasoned with wine made from Black Queen grapes, the wine held in the Ice Breaker cask was made with a ‘modern’ method which involves freezing the grapes after juicing by soaking them with dry ice, which is said to ‘[help] the cell walls of the fruits break, releasing a darker colour and more polyphenols.’

Just 280 bottles of Black Queen, bottled at 54.1% abv, and 290 bottles of Ice Breaker, 53.4% abv, are available to purchase exclusively in Taiwan, priced at NT$38,000 (£995) per bottle.

The releases follow Glenfiddich’s previous entry in its Spirit of Taiwan range, the Vino Formosa Rosso Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky No.1, released in April 2018.

Glenfiddich has previously used Canadian icewine casks – comprised of grapes frozen while on the vine, rather than after juicing – in its Winter Storm expression, released in 2017 as part of the distillery’s Experimental Series.

GLENFIDDICH LAUNCHES GRAND CRU WINE FINISH

September 2019

Speyside distillery Glenfiddich has released Grand Cru, a 23-year-old single malt finished in cuvée wine casks from France’s Champagne region.

Glenfiddich Grand Cru whisky

Wine ‘finesse’: Glenfiddich Grand Cru has been finished in French cuvée wine casks

Glenfiddich Grand Cru has been matured in American oak and a small number of ex-Sherry casks, before being finished for four months in a mixture of first-fill and second-fill French oak casks, which ‘have been used in fermenting the wine that will eventually become Champagne’.

The majority of Champagne producers use stainless steel tanks for the primary fermentation of their still wines, although a small handful of producers, including Krug, Bollinger, Lanson and Veuve Cliquot, ferment using oak casks which add a creamy, vanilla quality.

Grand Cru is the first expression in Glenfiddich’s new Grand range, a series of whiskies with ‘a connecting factor of age’ that will continue with second and third releases in 2020.

The Grand range will function separately to Glenfiddich’s Experimental Series, its range of ‘innovation’ whiskies that include Glenfiddich IPA Cask, XX, Winter Storm and Fire and Cane.

Grand Cru is the first Glenfiddich to be finished in French cuvée casks, and was created to ‘play on the liquid synonymous with celebration but that brings the substance and smoothness of single malt to the moment’.

Alex Walker, UK brand ambassador for Glenfiddich, said: ‘Brian [Kinsman, malt master at Glenfiddich] has always been fascinated with wine casks – he was looking for something that accentuated the floral side of Glenfiddich.

‘With Grand Cru, we really wanted to explore a wider audience and invite them into our whisky family, combining the best of Scotland and the best of what France has to offer.’

Bottled at 40% abv, the whisky is said to contain notes of ‘sweet brioche, pear sorbet, white grape and rich vanilla’.

Brian Kinsman added: ‘We experimented with the maturation time and hand selected the right balance of 23-year-old Glenfiddich casks out of our unique collection of old age malts.

‘The further influence from the oak of the French cuvée casks added an extra layer of complexity thanks to the liquid they once held.

‘Marrying the best of both worlds, the final liquid presents an exceptional finesse and is a special tribute to each individual cuvée cask the malts were finished in.’

Priced at £220, Glenfiddich Grand Cru is available in the UK for two weeks as a Harrods-only exclusive, before launching in other specialist retailers and rolling out across Singapore, America, South Africa, Taiwan, global travel retail and the Glenfiddich website.

GLENFIDDICH GRAND CRU, 23 YEARS OLD

SCORE

ABV

40%

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Fruity & Spicy

NOSE

Delicate and floral, with aromas of apple blossom and honey with caramel-drenched pear tarte tatin. There’s a bready element, lightly buttered toast, and gentle citrus notes in the shape of boiled lemon sweets (sherbet lemons).

PALATE

Again, delicate at first, with creamy toffee, white-fleshed fruits – peaches and nectarines, and an oaky, slightly dry mouthfeel. There’s a spark of wood spice in the mid-palate before more fruits – baked apples and sour white grapes – and brioche weave in. There’s an acidic note of pomace [spent grape skins] that builds toward the finish...

FINISH

…which leaves a light and fresh impression, albeit a touch oaky with more of that buttered toast.

CONCLUSION

Finished in French cuvée wine casks (which are used in the production of Champagne), this Glenfiddich has been designed as a celebratory whisky, though it’s a solid dram for any occasion, I’d say.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

Strolling through Reims as the Yellow Sun beats down

Glenfiddich has launched Grand Cru, a 23-year-old single malt finished in rare French cuvée oak casks, derived from champagne houses.

It is the only Glenfiddich single malt to undergo finishing in French cuvée casks which have previously been used in the production of champagne.

The whisky is first aged in American and European oak casks at the Glenfiddich Distillery and the company then uses a broker to source its barrels from the Champagne region to finish the whisky in.

Glenfiddich malt master, Brian Kinsman, said: “Breaking category conventions once more, this unusual collaboration presented an exciting opportunity to create a spirit that further elevated our unique Glenfiddich style.

“We experimented with the maturation time and selected the right balance of 23-year-old Glenfiddich casks out of our unique collection of old age malts.

“The further influence from the oak of the French cuvée casks added an extra layer of complexity thanks to the liquid they once held. Marrying the best of both worlds, the final liquid presents an exceptional finesse and is a special tribute to each individual cuvée cask the malts were finished in.”

Glenfiddich Grand Cru is part of a new series of 'Grand' whiskies set to be launched in the coming years with two further expressions expected to launch in 2020.

Ifan Jenkins, UK marketing director, added: “The launch of Grand Cru (40% abv) signifies a pivotal moment in Glenfiddich’s brand history and one we’re extremely proud of. With this extraordinary new liquid, we continue to push the boundaries in the whisky category and create new drinking experiences. Our ambition is to re-write the rules of whisky in the luxury sector by tapping into celebratory occasions in a new and meaningful way.”

Grand Cru is available from 3 September in Harrods as exclusive retailer for two weeks and will be rolled out globally before the end of the year with an RRP of £220.

The triangular bottle was announced in Ridley’s Wine & Spirit Trade Circular on

November 16th 1956.

This bottle was designed by Hans Schleger.

Glenfiddich Straight Malt was ingtroduced in 1961 and internationally in 1963.

Glenfiddich distillery was opened for visiors in 1969

The Balvenie was relaunched in 1993

What Happened: According to a press release, Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt whisky, has partnered with digital designer Stephanie Fung to develop and launch a limited-edition NFT fashion collection. Named The Filigree Aesthetic, the NFTs will be auctioned off via the NFT trading platform and creative hub Foundation, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to an organization that helps and promotes young digital artists.

The groundbreaking collection was inspired by the art of The Grande Composition artist group (Mzukisi Mbane from South Africa, Malwina Konopacka from Poland, and David Aiu Servan-Schreiber from the UK). These artists redefined the Grande Couronne filigree by using unique mediums and materials.

“Digital wearables will be the next big thing within NFTs, and people will be able to utilize them within AR, VR, or metaverses,” said Fung. “There’s a lot you can do with digital that you can’t achieve via real-life garments, such as animated graphics, making materials glow, or defy gravity.”

The Filigree Aesthetic collection includes three NFTs, each inspired by the reimagined art pieces from three global artists.

The Filigree Aesthetic can be viewed on the youth culture hub, HighSnobiety.

The Jing Take: Digital fashion is taking the world by storm. On Friday, September 10, Yahoo launched an NFT collection in partnership with Rebecca Minkoff. Meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld has announced the launch of a capsule NFT collection made of digital figurines.

The Bottle

Take a look at the whisky bottles ranged along the back bar of your favourite pub, or on the shelves in your local supermarket. They come in all shapes and sizes, but only a handful are instantly recognisable. Spot the triangle bottle? William Grant & Sons’ iconic triangular-shaped bottle, known as the ‘tround’ is used exclusively for their Grant’s blended Scotch range and its single malt stablemate, Glenfiddich.

Image courtesy of William Grant & Sons

The triangle bottle has its origins in the 1950s, when Scotch whisky packaging was generally quite dull and conventional. Grant’s, a family-owned company, had been very successful in marketing its blended Scotch brand in the teeth of fierce opposition at home and abroad. However, they were unable to match the advertising budgets of competitors like the mighty DCL, owners of brands such as Johnnie Walker and White Horse. In order to boost consumer recognition of Grant’s whiskies in a crowded market, therefore, they decided to invest in the creation of a unique and instantly recognisable triangle bottle which would stand out on the shelf, just like the famous Coca Cola contour shape, and Johnnie Walker’s square outline. To do this, they turned to London and to one of the greatest designers of his generation.

Hans Schleger. Image courtesy of William Grant & Sons

Hans Schleger (1898-1976), known professionally as Zero, was a Modernist graphic designer and advertising art director, who emigrated to England in the early 1930s to escape anti-Semitism in his native Germany. Schleger designed posters for clients such as Shell and Martini. He was responsible for updating London Transport’s famous roundel and the Underground map, and produced an acclaimed series of public information posters during the Second World War.

In 1953 he founded Hans Schleger & Associates and worked with clients such as John Lewis and MacFisheries to establish and refine their corporate identities. He began working with Grant’s in 1954.

Schleger’s triangular bottle is believed to have taken just under two years to evolve from initial design concept to manufactured product. It was greeted as an understated masterpiece of design – ‘unique, elegant, practical to manufacture and a pleasure to handle’, in the words of one critic. The bottle was taller than other whisky bottles, and its clean lines and bold profile added to its ‘stand out’ on the shelves. And while new machines had to be installed on the company’s bottling lines to cope with the new shape, the manufacturers were able to produce the new bottles for the same price as the old.

Image courtesy of William Grant & Sons

In advance of the bottle’s launch, public curiosity was teased with the appearance of a mysterious advertising poster in key locations. Designed by Schleger himself, it consisted of just three red and yellow dayglo brushstrokes forming an approximation of a triangle, and the words ‘Stand Fast by Grants.’

The bottle itself was finally revealed to the public at a party in the Savoy Hotel in November 1956. One magazine referred to it as ‘the easy grasp, easy store bottle’. And some compliments came from unexpected sources. “What a lovely bottle in which to put a ship”, wrote a happy model maker!

In 1959, the new bottle was the key feature in the ‘Scotch whisky in a tall triangular bottle’ advertising campaign for Grant’s standard blend, Stand Fast. It consisted of a number of cartoons depicting individuals from all walks of life who enjoyed the whisky. Subsequent adverts also played on the bottle shape, often in a humorous way. By placing the bottle front and centre of its advertising, directly associating the shape with the brand, Grant’s suggested that theirs was a stylish and elegant whisky, preferred by sophisticated whisky drinkers from all walks of life.

William Grant & Sons

The tround was used for all of the blends in the Grant’s blended Scotch whisky range, and its success led to tits adoption for another of the company’s products – the single malt from its Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown.

Glenfiddich had been bottled as a single malt, in relatively small quantities, for many decades. In 1961, however, with the end of post-war shortages of mature spirit and a growing interest in single malts among a growing army of aficionados, Grant’s decided to relaunch it (initially) as Glenfiddich Straight Malt.

Image courtesy of William Grant & Sons

The company realised that many consumers were unfamiliar with single malts and with the distillery name, and that it would be helpful to associate it subliminally with Grant’s and their reputation for producing high quality whiskies. And so the relaunched Glenfiddich was presented in the triangular bottle, although using green glass in place of clear.

William Grant & Sons

The continuing success of Grant’s and the rapid growth of Glenfiddich brought Schleger’s triangular bottle to an ever-wider audience across the globe. Over the years, the labelling and packaging of both the brands’ ranges have been refreshed and redefined periodically, to meet changing perceptions and expectations of each new generation of consumers. The bottle, however, remained little changed. Until…

In 2008 the classic shape was restyled, broadening the shoulders and the base of the bottle – the latter serving to create a ‘plinth’ – to make the bottle stand out even more boldly, while the height was maintained.

William Grant & Sons

A new triangular carton was introduced to contain the bottle. At the same time, Glenfiddich’s Solera Reserve expression was switched from green to clear glass.

Ten years later, as part of a wider packaging refresh, the shape was refined again, this time by widening the shoulders further and slightly reducing its height, as well as ‘rounding’ the outline, to give it a more premium look and feel.

William Grant & Sons

The Glenfiddich bottle was redesigned with a pronounced ‘V’ etched on the front.

Image courtesy of William Grant & Sons

The triangular bottle has certainly played a major role in the success story of both Grant’s, currently the world’s third-best selling brand of blended Scotch, and Glenfiddich, the top-selling single malt. It is a text-book example of the importance of great design in whisky marketing, to create a strong corporate and brand identity. In future years, it seems certain, the bottle design will continue to evolve, to meet the expectations of new generations of drinkers and appeal to new tastes in fashion and style. But it is a tribute to Hans Schleger’s original design that, today, it seems as fresh, relevant and distinctive as it did when it was first revealed in 1956

Glenfiddich reveals Grand Yozakura - a limited edition whisky matured in rare ex-Awamori casks

Glenfiddich has added to their Grand series of whiskies, with a the release of Grand Yozakura.

March 30, 2023

Glenfiddich has created the first single malt Scotch whisky to be finished in rare Japanese ex-Awamori casks. This whisky is the latest release within the Glenfiddich Grand Series.

The Grand Series are single malts characterised by innovative and experimental cask finishing.

Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura

The new Grand Yozakura is a 29 Year Old whisky matured at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown and finished in oak casks that previously matured the oldest distilled alcoholic spirit in Japan, Awamori.

Awamori is made using long grain indica rice and traditionally stored in clay pots and matured in oak casks.

It is said that the technique for making the spirit has not been altered in over 500 years.

Only a small proportion of Awamori is aged in oak casks making them exceptionally rare. Grand Yozakura celebrates Hanami - the “cherry blossom festival”, where Japan appreciates the temporal beauty of nature through the sakura.

A time for renewal and optimism, the festival is best experienced illuminated after dark where it is known as the Yozakura or ‘night sakura’.

Reflecting its namesake and the temporal nature of beauty, only a limited number of Grand Yozakura bottles are available globally.

Scapa Distillery to open whisky tasting room that has stunning views of Orkney

Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, said of the new launch: “We are always looking to experiment with new finishes so when the chance arose to acquire rare ex-Awamori casks we saw an opportunity to push the boundaries and experiment with this highly unusual spirit.

"This is the first time that single malt Scotch whisky has been finished in these rare casks.

"We always learn something new when we lead with innovation so taking a risk is worth it, and in the case of Awamori we trialled a very small number of casks at a younger age first.

“Awamori is much like whisky, with a diverse range of flavours. Since embarking on this fusion, it’s been fascinating to focus on the oak and how it has been changed and adapted by contact with another spirit.

"The six month finish in exceptionally rare ex-Awamori Casks compliments the smooth Glenfiddich taste profile, elevating the finish and lifting the flavour to a new level, accentuating the mouthfeel characters and zingy herbal notes unlike any in the series, or anything I have tasted before.”

Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura

Claudia Falcone, Glenfiddich Global Brand Director, added: “The Grand Series underpins Glenfiddich’s spirit of innovation and Grand Yozakura is no exception.

"It is perhaps the most ground-breaking expression to sit alongside the series so far, whilst also being the first limited edition release.

"Bringing together two scarce components accentuates the anticipation and sense of occasion, paying homage to the brand’s innovative nature when it comes to creating dynamic whiskies of the highest quality.”

The packaging of Grand Yozakura brings this meeting of cultures to life with a signature illustration, created by Japanese artist June, who creates visions incorporating Japanese culture and landscapes.

The packaging includes a bespoke topper and traditional poem printed onto each specially designed outer.

Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura 29 Year Old will be available for purchase from the end of March 2023 at Harrods and other selective retailers across UK at a recommended retailer price of £1,500 (70cl).

Grand Yozakura is the latest addition to the series, which includes Glenfiddich Grand Cru, aged for 23 years in American and European oak casks and then finessed in French Cuvée oak casks; Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, patiently mellowed for 21 years in European and American Oak casks before a final flourish in Caribbean Rum casks; and Grande Couronne, a 26 year old Scotch whisky matured in American and European oak casks finished for up to two years in meticulously sourced French Cognac casks

Glenfiddich launches new Grand Series whisky - The Grand Château

Glenfiddich has unveiled Grand Château, the latest limited edition whisky in its Grand Series.

Published 5th Sep 2024

Glenfiddich Grand Château is a 31 Year Old whisky that has been finished for nine years in red wine casks from Bordeaux. It marks the first release by the distillery to use red wine casks from this region.

The nine-year finish gives tasting notes of Indulgent and rich, caramelised cherry and apple intertwined with warming spice and toasted oak; an opulent, yet earthy liquid that's fruity and at the same time floral.

This limited edition whisky is being released as a part of The Glenfiddich Grand Series, a collection that celebrates the unexpected collision between single malt and cultures from around the world.

Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich Malt Master said of the latest release: “Bordeaux red wine casks are incredibly versatile sources of flavour and recognised widely for their outstanding quality, providing the perfect opportunity for experimentation to develop a profound spirit.

Glenfiddich Grand Château

“Nine years spent cocooned in these extraordinary Bordeaux red wine casks results in an exceptionally vibrant liquid which intensifies Glenfiddich’s classic fruity character balanced somewhat unusually with notes of deep oak and warming vanilla.

“Although wine is becoming an increasingly popular choice for maturation within the single malt category, it remains relatively rare to see whiskies finished in a Bordeaux red wine cask, making this an incredibly intriguing and collectable bottling.”

Claudia Falcone, Glenfiddich Global Brand Director added: “The addition of Grand Château to The Glenfiddich portfolio, experimenting with flavour combinations and an extended finishing period, establishes our position as a brand that continues to push the boundaries of whisky making. Grand Château allows us to explore the collision of different cultures, whilst taking luxury to new heights.”

Grand Château’s display boxes are an eye-catching work of art by French street artist André Saraiva.

Glenfiddich Grand Château

Along with designing the bold interior packaging, Saraiva has created ‘The Artist’s Edition’ through ‘disrupting’ 250 of the traditional Toile De Jouy display box, using them as a canvas to add his playful interpretation of the spirit and its story.

The limited edition display boxes feature Saraiva’s signature ‘Mr.A’ character–a figure that has travelled the world from the streets of Paris to New York, Shenzhen, London and Seoul, and within this design can be seen playfully selecting the extended Bordeaux red wine cask finished whisky at the Glenfiddich distillery.

The Macallan launches its oldest Scottish whisky - here's how you can get the 84-year-old dram

The Glenfiddich Grand series so far

Grand Château is the latest addition to the Grand series, which includes Grand Yozakura, a limited edition 29 Year Old whisky the first Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be finished in rare ex-Awamori casks; Grande Couronne, a 26 Year Old Scotch Whisky matured in American and European oak casks and finished for up to two years in French Cognac casks.

This followed Glenfiddich Grand Cru, aged for 23 years in American and European oak casks and then finished in French Cuvée oak casks; Gran Cortes, a Glenfiddich whisky aged for 22 years in traditional Sherry oak before finishing in very rare Palo Cortado Sherry casks and Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, patiently mellowed for 21 years in European and American Oak casks before being finished in Caribbean Rum casks.

Glenfiddich Grand Château will be available from luxury whisky retail outlets and premium establishments in the UK including Harvey Nichols from September 2024 for an RRSP of £1,550.

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William Grant & Sons

Industry Drink industry

Founded 1887; 137 years ago

Founder William Grant

Headquarters Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland

Products Alcoholic drinks

Website williamgrant.com

William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887[1] by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018.[2] It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.[3]

The company is the third largest producer of Scotch whisky (8% market share), shipping about 7.6 million cases per year, with brands including Glenfiddich and Balvenie.[4][5] The first and second largest, respectively, are Diageo (34.4%), and Pernod Ricard.[6][7] The company is registered at The Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown.[8] The main operational headquarters are located at Strathclyde Business Park, North Lanarkshire. Sales and marketing headquarters are in Richmond, London. The company is a member of the Scotch Whisky Association.[9][3]

The master blender of Grant's is Brian Kinsman,[10][11] who succeeded David Stewart who had been in his post for 47 years, the longest serving master blender with one distiller in the industry.[12][citation needed]

William Grant & Sons has won the Queen's Award to Industry for Outstanding Export Achievement.[citation needed]

History

William Grant was born in Dufftown in 1839. In 1886, Grant and his six sons started construction of Glenfiddich distillery.[13] On Christmas Day, 1887, the distillery was operational.[14]

In 1892, William Grant & Sons built a second neighbouring distillery called Balvenie.[15]

In 1963 Girvan grain whisky distillery was built in South Ayrshire, Scotland.[16]

In 1990, William Grant & Sons founded the Kininvie distillery.[17]

In 1992 William Grant & Sons bought the Convalmore distillery, to increase warehousing capacity for Glenfiddich.[18]

In 1999 William Grant & Sons launched Hendrick's Gin, a brand of gin produced at the Girvan distillery, Scotland.[19]

In 1999, the company acquired Highland Distillers through a partnership with Edrington Group taking a majority interest (the 1887 Company).[20]

In October 2002, the company acquired the Canadian whisky brand Gibson's Finest.[21]

In 2005, William Grant & Sons established a distillery in Borgarnes, Iceland to make vodka. The brand was named Reyka.[22]

In October 2005, the company bought Raynal & Cie and acquired the brandy brands Three Barrels and The Raynal.[23]

In 2009, Ailsa Bay distillery was built to meet needs for malt whisky for blended whiskies.[24]

In May 2010 the group bought four brands from C&C Group, including Tullamore D.E.W., for €300m.[25] In September they sold the three minor brands (Irish Mist, Carolans, Frangelico) to Gruppo Campari for €129m, so in effect, Grants paid €171m for the Tullamore D.E.W. brand and its production facilities.[26]

In July 2014 Grant's donated "in the region of £100,000" to the unionist campaign group Better Together, with the company being "said to have also donated smaller sums of money to other groups who are campaigning for a 'No' vote," ahead of the Scottish independence referendum.[27]

In September 2014, William Grant & Sons, bought Drambuie liqueur for an estimated price of about £100 million.[28][29]

In March 2020, the company switched production at three of its distilleries to create approximately five million litres of ethanol over an eight-week period to produce hand sanitiser during the Covid-19 pandemic.[30] In that same month, William Grant & Sons closed all of its visitor centres due to the same pandemic.[31] In June 2020, the company reopened some of its visitor centres with increased hygiene measures.[32]

In September 2020, Fistful of Bourbon the company first bourbon was launched in the American market.[33]

In February 2022, William Grant & Sons launched its first low-alcoholic spirits Atopia.[34]

In September 2023, it was announced William Grant & Sons had acquired the Guildford-headquartered gin producer, Silent Pool Distillers.[35]

In September 2024, William Grant & Sons reached an agreement to buy The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt from Edrington, subject to customary regulatory approvals.[36]

Distilleries

Distilleries owned by William Grant & Sons:

Ailsa Bay distillery[37]

Balvenie distillery[4][5]

Convalmore distillery is a former whisky distillery in Dufftown, closing operations in 1985. William Grant & Sons bought the distillery in 1992, for the warehouses, to increase warehousing capacity for Glenfiddich. The Convalmore distillery produced whisky for other brands. The name Convalmore however is used for selected whiskies, although the distillery never produced a whisky under their own name. The brand name is owned by Diageo.[4]

Girvan grain distillery[38]

Glenfiddich distillery[4][5]

Kininvie distillery[39]

Ladyburn distillery closed in 1975[40]

Tullamore distillery (Ireland)[38]

Brands

The company's leading single malt Scotch brand is Glenfiddich, the best-selling single malt Scotch in the world as of 2016.[41] Roughly 1.22 million cases of Glenfiddich were sold in 2017. Another Grant single malt Scotch whisky also made the top ten list of best-selling Scotch whiskies in 2017: The Balvenie (#6).[42][4] Another very popular blended whisky is Monkey Shoulder.[42] In 2021 the company's leading blended whisky, Grant's, was the number three in the world's best-selling Scotch whiskies behind Johnnie Walker and Ballantine’s.[43]

William Grant & Sons beverage brands include:[44]

Scotch whisky:

Single malt Scotch whisky: Aerstone, Ailsa Bay, Glenfiddich, Kininvie, The Balvenie

Blended malt Scotch whisky: Monkey Shoulder

Blended Scotch whisky: Grant's, House of Hazelwood, Clan MacGregor, Wildmoor[45]

American whiskey: Fistful of Bourbon, Hudson Whiskey [46]

Canadian whisky: Gibson's Finest

Irish whiskey: Tullamore D.E.W.

Brandy: Three Barrels, The Raynal

Gin: Hendrick's, Verano

Liqueur: Drambuie, Solerno, The Knot

Low-alcoholic spirit: Atopia

Mixed drinks: Taboo

Rum: Sailor Jerry, Old Vatted Demerara (O.V.D.), Woods Old Navy

Tequila: Milagro

Vodka: Reyka

Rare whiskies

William Grant & Sons produces a number of rare whiskies, most of which are described in the articles on Glenfiddich, Grant's and The Balvenie. However, their rare whiskies also include:

Girvan First Batch Distillation (from casks filled in 1964)

Ladyburn (from Ladyburn distillery, closed in 1975)

Snow Phoenix (a one-off by Glenfiddich produced as a blend of all the whisky—between three and 50 years in age—recovered after heavy snow destroyed a warehouse where the whisky was being aged)

Other rare whiskies have been bottled as private vintages for Concorde, Queen Mary 2 and the Royal Danish Wedding.

Highland Distillers brands

William Grant & Sons and the Edrington Group took Highland Distillers private in 1999[47] forming the 1887 Company, in which William Grant and Sons hold a 30% stake.

Brands owned by Highland Distillers at that time:

Black Bottle, this brand was sold subsequently to Burn Stewart Distillers in 2004

Gloag's London Dry Gin, brand name owned by Edrington

Highland Park, brand name now owned by Edrington

The Famous Grouse, brand name now owned by Edrington

The Macallan, brand name now owned by Edrington

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland has partnered with Glenfiddich to launch a 49-year-old single malt.

Gleneagles x Glenfiddich Centenary Reserve has been aged in a single refill sherry butt and just 14 bottles have been made available to buy exclusively at the hotel.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been working behind the scenes with the Glenfiddich team, with the joint aim of crafting the ultimate anniversary single malt,” said Daniel Baernreuther, general manager at The Gleneagles Hotel.

“This is a bottle of whisky unlike any other and I couldn’t think of a better dram to celebrate 100 years of Gleneagles.”

The collaboration was said to be inspired by the Scottish railways which not only led to the construction of the hotel, but contributed to the growth of Scotch whisky globally.

The Gleneagles Hotel was originally built to provide luxury accommodation for train travellers and to this day the hotel has its own railway station first erected in 1856.

The expansion of the railways into Speyside in the late 19th century also enabled distilleries to distribute their Scotch beyond Scotland.

Gleneagles x Glenfiddich Centenary Reserve is the first collaboration by Glenfiddich since the brand partnered with Concord at the turn of the century.

The whisky is available to buy on request from The Still Room at the hotel for £35,000, and limited to three bottles per sale