Glenfiddich 12-year-old

Overall rating
78.33/100
ratings
8
Whiskybase ID
WB246173
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Distillery Bottling
Bottling series
Our Signature Malt
Bottled
09.03.2022
Stated Age
12 years
Cask Type
Oloroso Sherry & Bourbon
Strength
40.0 %
Size
200 ml
Bottle code
L34G 4083 0903
Barcode
5010327098104
Bottled for
Glenfiddich Mix Pack
Added on
09 jan 2024 9:24 pm by DiethelmDuck
ColoredChill Filtered
Overall rating
78.33/100
ratings
8

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Whisky reviews for Glenfiddich 12-year-old

2 users have left 2 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 78.33 points.

Read the reviews
  1. Thermidor scored this whisky 79 points Connoisseur

    It's unfortunate that the price situation of malts is such that my local outlet changed the 15yo for this while keeping the price the same. Unfortunate because the 15yo was my go-to calibration malt for tastings: low ABV with a touch of almost everything found in Scotland except heavy peat and marine notes. It also had a strong batch consistency.

    This 12yo tries to fulfill the same mission in my cabinet and succeeds at it, although the louder sherry touches are missing. It's not a whisky I'd drink for pleasure, but certainly the true middle of the road malt and as such a good way to test if my taste buds are working on any given day.

  2. VLG scored this whisky 75 points Connoisseur

    Batch: L31A 4909 3011

    I'm going back to the basics again, because why not. I found this pack on Amazon with the three main Glenfiddichs and, since I wanted to try the 12 and 18 again (I emptied a bottle of each 2 or 3 years ago) and had never tried the 15-year-old, I thought it was a good idea to get one. The more experience I gain, the less I care about the specs and the more I am interested in the overall experience each bottle delivers according to its price and pretensions. In this regard, Glenfiddich 12 has impressed me quite a bit.

    Main notes: fresh pear/apple and aromatic sweet malt
    Background: herbs, flowery honey, gentle spices, a touch of dusty sherrywood, and a hint of earthy/cereal funk.

    Nose: fresh green apple and sweet pear come first, then citrus orange, floral honey, warm sweet malt, light young woody notes, a hint of nutmeg and herbs, with pervasive earthy and dusty old wood notes in the background. Fresh and super clean. Actually layered and complex. I love the aroma of this whisky, not gonna lie.
    Palate: refreshing acidic apple, aromatic and slightly astringent unripe pear, and surrounding them, bright lemon, earthy and slightly toasted malt, a touch of spicy clove, toasted almonds and a touch of dusty old wood and butterscotch.
    Finish: more refreshing apple and pear, sweet and honeyed malt, and a hint of grass, dried fruits, and lemon.

    Kind of hidden in plain sight, it its price range this is a masterpiece of balance and subtlety. Sadly, it suffers the same fate as other whiskies considered introductory to Scotch culture (like Glenmorangie 10 and Glenlivet 12), where most enthusiasts move on from them too quickly and permanently categorize them as uninteresting, simple, and easy. The last point I concede, but the first two are, at the very least, debatable. For starters, I find it impressive what this whisky achieves with such minimal intensity, combining archetypal notes to create something delicious, somewhat interesting, and definitely recognizable.

    On the other hand, this is an indisputably complex whisky in its price range (and this is a hill I'm willing to die on), as none of the families of notes (pear, malt, spice and earthy funk) dominate over the others despite having different intensities. They maintain a perfectly accessible and seamless balance, making it easy to explore. In other words, the freshness of the pears and apples, the sweetness of the malt, the warmth of the spices, and the funkiness of the sherry integrate harmoniously, and this, my friends, is not easy to accomplish. Therefore, this whisky is perfect for experiencing firsthand the power of attention: depending on which family of notes we focus on, it will seem to stand out over the others, leaving those in the background. This might sound basic, but I know many distilleries that struggle to accomplish these basic feats even in their more sophisticated (and expensive) offerings.

    Finally, this is a flawless whisky. The alcohol is well-tamed, the oak doesn't bite too much, it's not overly intense, astringent, sweet, fruity, or sherried. It has no off-notes, presents a clear profile it aims for and achieves, so no ridiculously pretentious, doesn't feel like a watered-down version of a more expensive whisky (like a free fake trial of something real that lies behind a paywall), and has at least two or three layers of aromas and flavors interacting harmoniously. Although subtle, you don't have to chase the notes... I can name over 100 single malts that cost double, triple, or quadruple and don't meet one or more of these minimum requirements.

    In summary, the nose reveals green apple, sweet pear, citrus, floral honey, malt, nutmeg, herbs, and dusty wood. The palate is refreshing with acidic apple, unripe pear, lemon, malt, clove, almonds, old wood, and butterscotch. The finish continues with apple, pear, malt, and hints of grass and lemon. Despite being seen as an introductory whisky, it achieves impressive balance and complexity within its price range. It is harmonious, flawless, and well-crafted, making it an underrated masterpiece. Good stuff.

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  • Chocolate
    Chocolate
  • Citric
    Citric
  • Coal-gas
    Coal-gas
  • Cooked Fruit
    Cooked Fruit
  • Cooked Mash
    Cooked Mash
  • Cooked Vegetable
    Cooked Vegetable
  • Dried Fruit
    Dried Fruit
  • Fragant
    Fragant
  • Fresh Fruit
    Fresh Fruit
  • Green-House
    Green-House
  • Hay-like
    Hay-like
  • Honey
    Honey
  • Husky
    Husky
  • Kippery
    Kippery
  • Leafy
    Leafy
  • Leathery
    Leathery
  • Malt Extract
    Malt Extract
  • Medicinal
    Medicinal
  • Mossy
    Mossy
  • New Wood
    New Wood
  • Nutty
    Nutty
  • Oily
    Oily
  • Old Wood
    Old Wood
  • Plastic
    Plastic
  • Rubbery
    Rubbery
  • Sandy
    Sandy
  • Sherried
    Sherried
  • Smokey
    Smokey
  • Solvent
    Solvent
  • Sweaty
    Sweaty
  • Toasted
    Toasted
  • Tobacco
    Tobacco
  • Vanilla
    Vanilla
  • Vegetative
    Vegetative
  • Yeasty
    Yeasty