Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve Scotch – Review

Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reseve Single Malt Scotch Whisky

86 Proof

Price Point: $45 – $55 for 750 ML

Distiller: The Glenfiddich Distillery

Background

Glenfiddich is a big producer of single malt Scotch.  I’ve sampled most of their range.  When the 14 Year Old arrived on the shelf in my local liquor store, I noticed that the label clearly stated “US Exclusive”.  I found that interesting.  I’ve certainly seen “Duty Free Exclusive” and labels of that nature, but never “US Exclusive” on a Scotch label.  I don’t know the full story, but it was intriguing enough for me to buy a bottle.

Review

The nose begins with malt and leather, with vanilla sneaking in to remind you of the bourbon barrel influence.  This becomes increasingly evident.  Not a bad nose at all on Glenfiddich 14 Year Old.

On the palate, there’s more malt with a bit of a bite at 43%.  Glenfiddich 14 Year Old has a fruity character like other expressions from the distillery’s portfolio.  This is tasty stuff – sweet but also slightly bitter.  The bitterness seems almost rye-like; it would be interesting to know which bourbon barrels were chosen for aging, and what the rye content was on the mashbill.

The bourbon influence disappears on the finish.  Glenfiddich 14 Year Old ends like a nice single malt Scotch with more fruit and malt.

Rating & Recommendations

Glenfiddich 14 Year Old earns a respectable rating of 85 out of 100.

This is not a bad whisky by any means.  I definitely sense the bourbon barrel aging more than other, similarly marketed single malts.  I would buy this whisky again.

-Ryan