A book plus two Glenfiddich 21 year old


July 14, 2023

A book plus two Glenfiddich 21 year old,

Official vs. Independent

I quietly revisited David Stirk's recent book, 'Independent Scotch, The History of Independent Bottlings' over the weekend, paying even closer attention this time, except for the preface because I found it a little average the first time around (well, that's probably because I wrote it). Actually, what I really love about this book is the absence of pontification and, above all, the fact that David never generalises. He never sings the praises of an industry that can sometimes be quite insular and often a little arrogant (in my opinion), nor does he engage in the kind of bashing that you can witness here and there.

Guilty as charged, well, let's move on, what I wanted to say, actually, is that many chapters in David's book are truly valuable and revealing, for example, the one that discusses the behaviour of some distillers towards independent bottlers and the increased control or even prohibition de-facto on using the names of the malts they had sold to them, directly or indirectly, as well as the use of wordings such as 'teaspooning', 'blended malts' or 'blended Scotch', and if that's all really legal from a tax perspective, which kind of traceability you should actually need and so on. You should really read this book! In any case, one of the most emblematic examples is the old (and not so old) series of Glenfiddich-Glenlivet by Cadenhead, a company where David had actually worked quite some years ago. And while rereading the book, I remembered that I still had one that I really wanted to taste again. Thank you for reminding me, David, but first, to be consistent, a sparring partner of the exact same age, completely official this time. No unnecessary provocation!

Glenfiddich 21 yo 'Gran Reserva' (40%, OB, +/-2020)

Right, we had tried its predecessor 'Havana Reserve', which the American administration did not like too much because of its Cuban side, then the very early 'Gran Reserva' that was the same juice, made with the help of 'Rum distillers from Sancti Spiritus in the heart of Cuba'. That was around 2005, and then, we jumped straight to the latest inception, a moderately expressive 'Reserva Rum Cask Finish' bottled in 2021. But we've never tried the last 'Gran Reservas'… Oh and love this quote from LMDW: "Finishings are very trendy these days. While some of them are questionable, this Gran Reserva version is anything but showmanship." Colour: gold. Nose: you do feel the cross-influence, but then, Sancti Spiritus – provided the rum still stems from Sancti Spiritus – is a rather light style of rum, although pretty 'top of Cuba' in my book. Some sugar cane for sure, hay, touches of aniseed, fennel, then green bananas and not-too-ripe tropical fruits, papayas… a faint soapiness (hand cream, moisturiser), a little sesame oi, scones and pancakes… But it remains very light, it's true that bringing a 21 years old down to 40% vol. feels very… 2005. Mouth: mostly on dried fruits. Apple rinds, papaya cubes, banana slices, then liquorice and a tiny salty touch. A feeling of apple liqueur with a little honey or mead. Not that thin. Finish: some raisins, a slight fizziness, some milk chocolate, some cinnamon (cookies and rolls). Comments: a good batch for sure, it's just a little light.
SGP:541 - 83 points.

Glenfiddich-Glenlivet 21 yo 1973/1994 (54.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

Classified as a 'Highland' back then but many Speysiders were. Colour: straw. Nose: great OBE for sure. I'll say it, I've tried this one before, from another bottle, and had been mildly disappointed, but that was around twelve years ago. This has more tropical fruits, bananas, also gooseberries and strawberries, plus whiffs of some kind of thick, creamy Belgian beer, geranium... With water: I'm sure it gained some complexity, especially small tertiary herbal notes, plus various oils, especially pistachio oil. Mouth (neat): wonderful aniseed, almost absinth. Absinth flavoured with strawberries, something like that. With water: whoops, perhaps not its best side, it is probably not a Port Ellen or a St. Magdalene from the same series. It's become a little cardboardy, dry, tea-ish… Finish: medium, still cardboardy. Comments: stunning nose, but otherwise, maybe not… Bottles vary indeed.
SGP: 551 - 85 points.

All right, the whiskies were good, but the book was better, ha.

Check the index of all Glenfiddich we've tasted so far