Review #215 - Glenfiddich 15 Year Unique Solera Reserve
Using a 'Solera' vat, Glenfiddich maintains consistency for its 15 year old single malt via a sort of in-house blending process. Actually, the Solera system as it's known in the sherry world generally consists of layers of casks which are partially filled and drained in succession, with the casks on the lowest level containing the oldest wine.
Glenfiddich's system instead employs a large oak vat in which single malt already aged for 15 years is added, and then half is drained for bottling; the process repeats over time, incrementally increasing the theoretical average age of the contents in the vat. Actually, since the vat is larger than 700 liters in volume, which is the largest vessel allowed by the SWA for aging, the time the whisky spends in the vat does not actually count for additional aging for the age statement. Glenfiddich's solera vat hasn't been emptied since 1998, which should definitely add some flavor consistency to the product over a long period.
Glenfiddich's 15 year Solera single malt has undergone a couple of subtle rebrands, most recently changing from this 'Unique Solera Reserve' to 'Our Solera Fifteen.' We're tasting the former version - we believe it was bottled in the late 2010s.
Glenfiddich 15 Year Unique Solera Reserve
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 75 (2024)
Age Statement: 15 Years
Strength: 40% ABV
Cask Makeup: European oak ex-sherry casks, new oak casks, Solera vat
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 16 months; bottles at 90%, 50% (blind tasting), 30%, and 20% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Sweet red fruits - strawberry, orange, hints of raisin and plum. There are lighter notes that suggest ex-bourbon aging, like pear, vanilla, and some sweeter baking spices; brown sugar, white grape, and barley sugar continue the sweet notes. Generally quite mellow.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thin; the taste reflects the nose quite well. Mellow dark fruits like grape, some orange and grapefruit, a bit of soft oak. There is a bit more spice and baking flavor on the palate, though, with stronger cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and pancakes with maple syrup.
Finish: Casual warmth, quite sweet, and medium-short in length. Hints of oak tannins add a soft spice, but this is mostly full of molasses, white wine, orange slices, and a soft grainy character.
Final Note: Quite soft and almost too homogenized - the solera process seems to be working to maintain a consistent flavor profile, but it removes the possibility of an interesting whisky with the soft base distillate and the cask recipe. The bottling strength isn't doing it any favors, either - it's all a bit anemic. Still, the flavors are pleasant enough for sipping... it isn't likely to upset many people.
Value for a 15 year age-stated whisky is pretty good, as most brands are now approaching the $100 mark in our area, but value for the flavor provided is quite average.
Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 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: 6.06
Check out our other Glenfiddich reviews:
Review #119 - Glenfiddich 12 Year
