Aroma: soft, without a cap, very discreet. In general, sherry aromatics prevail. Immediately after removing the cap, clear Oloroso sherry motifs, a slight sweetness of raisins, ripe pears and peaches, citrus fruits, cinnamon, molasses, slight creamy notes, quite a bit of vanilla, pastries. Then some rearrangement occurs - the sherry component remains in the same strength, while light waxy-resinous, woody-spicy and floral shades, notes of dry tart spicy herbs join it. After a couple of sips, it becomes somewhat flatter. Overall, very attractive, but not intense enough. Against the background of a persistent aroma, a 26-year-old quickly fades in a parallel comparison.
Body: below average density.
Taste: not strong, soft, silky, rather watery at the end of the first wheeze. Initially moderately sweet, slightly peppery, with some hot spices. The sweetness is more syrupy than fruity. At the first stage of the sip, there is quite a bit of raisins and orange peel, a light wine note, cinnamon, a bit of vanilla. Then, weak perfumery and resinous shades, burnt sugar, bitter almonds, spicy dry herbs, light tannins, and astringent wine barrel come to the fore. Generally pleasant, but overly smooth with a dilute feel in the style of a good blend. For an 18-year-old whisky, such a low density and richness is simply offensive. True, after a series of sips, it decently adds and becomes, as it were, denser and brighter due to the saturation of the receptors and the synergy associated with this.
Finish: between short and medium, loose, slightly sweet, moderately spicy, a little burnt sugar, pleasant wine barrel, tannins at the end with a little bitterness. Not very expressive.
Conclusions. It's strange, but on the first day of testing, the 18-year-old release disappointed me completely. Mainly because of the failure in taste and inconspicuous aftertaste. Against this background, one of the last releases of the 18-year-old Glenlivet, which I recently tested, would definitely look brighter and richer. However, the next day something happened either to me or to Glenfiddich - he became much more solid and interesting, and so much so that I had to significantly redo N&T. Unlike younger partners, with such a presentation, one could already savor him, although he still did not reach the 18-year-old Livet. According to my recollections, the peers of this Fiddick, published ten years ago with a strength of 43% abv, once made a more pleasant impression. Grade 83