Review #13 - Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
Peated Speysider Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3
The final part of this review series, from the Speyside giant Glenfiddich - by many people's estimation, the quintessential Scotch whisky distillery. This bottling is far from their ordinary malts, though; the fourth installment of the Experimental Series, following the IPA cask (01), Project XX (02), and Winter Storm (03); we're seeing an unusual peated Glenfiddich, with the addition of more exotic casks to amp up the flavors in the liquid. Will it still contain some of that classic Glenfiddich character, or is this something entirely unique?
Like the BenRiach Smoky Ten we reviewed last week, this has some rum cask aging, so we're looking for tropical fruit and quite a bit of sweetness. Time to find out if this has more or less to offer than two of its main competitors in the specialty Speyside market.
Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 54 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 55 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-Bourbon casks and Ex-Rum Casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 12 months; bottles at 100%, 80% (blind tasting), and 70% fill level at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Peat starts off mild but quickly grows in intensity, and there is just a little bit of mustiness from earth or damp wood. Past that, it's lots of sweet fruit: orange citrus tang, mild lemon, cantaloupe, and sherbet. There is just a little bit of spice, not much oak to speak of, but there is creme brulee, a hint of coconut, and sweet cream coming from the bourbon and rum casks. Along with the cream, even a subtle hint of aged charcuterie cheese if you're looking for it.
Palate: Medium mouthfeel, maybe slightly thin, and some heat now. Peat is medium, not too strong, but brings a campfire to mind; then we get the fruit bomb once more, with tons of orange, lemons, cantaloupe, melon, and key lime pie. It isn't overly sweet despite all of the tropical fruit, more balanced, with some mild oak influence and gentle sugars from custard cream, rum caramels, vanilla, and sherbet, especially orange sherbet. The longer this opens up, the more it is like a peated orange creamsicle.
Finish: Medium length finish, not too harsh in any way, but that's not to say it's lacking flavor. Rich peat smoke, if a little thin, but it's not ashy, more like slightly astringent. There is a wood note that feels somewhat young, and some acidic lemon to go with the tropical orange. End of the finish is creamy, with vanilla and a tiny bit of white pepper.
Final Note: A pretty interesting bottle, and we'd be lying if we said we didn't like that orange creamsicle note on the palate - in fact, we love that flavor. Not exactly a subtle malt, but the flavors are round and balanced enough that we're happy to pick this up more often for a taste. Is it head and shoulders about the other two whiskies in our mini-series, The Smoky Ten from BenRiach and Benromach's Peat Smoke? No, but by our estimation, this Glenfiddich slightly edges the others out, as reflected by the higher rating and value proposition.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.95
