Glenfiddich XXX Scotch

Glenfiddich XXX 30 yo Highland Scotch. 750ml, standard triangular Glenfiddich bottle, presentation tube, 86 proof, about $150.



Glenfiddich 30 yo is one of the more affordable 30 year old scotches available from an original bottler. That is to say there are some 30 yo you can get from a number of independent bottlers (Cadenhead, Hart Brothers, Old Malt Cask etc.etc.) at a lesser price but they aren't the same as the ones from the original distillery.

My project for today and for the foreseeable future is taking out a tree in the yard. With a 24" trunk I figure I have to dig 3-4' around it and 2-3' deep in order to get this thing out of the ground. After about 6 hours I called it a day, it's not going anywhere and neither am I. Why am I digging you ask? I can't get any heavy equipment to that part of the yard so I gotta do it the old school way.

After cleaning and putting away the tools I parked my butt on the deck smoked a Torano Tribute and then poured a nice dollop of Glenfiddich XXX in my glass. Nothing like relaxing after some serious labor. This version of Glenfiddich noses a bit sweeter then any I've had except for the Havana Reserve. The scents of chocolate, warm apples and vanilla fill the glass. Tasting reveals a smooth malt that turns spicy with an oak undertone. The finish is fairly simple with vanilla and the bourbon oak that this scotch sat in for 30 years revealing itself.

A nice classic scotch with no surprises, you can see how the 12 yo Glenfiddich could turn into this. If you are a fan of Glenfiddich you owe yourself to try this, if you're not, try some anyway. I like it but it isn't at the top of the 30 year old scotches I own. Of course, all except one cost more, sometimes a lot more.

Maybe I should only review cheaper scotches. Not much interest it seems in the more expensive ones.

Another nice review, AVB. I'm not a big fan of Glenfiddich, however, this looks like a more affordable 30yo. Gregor

no, keep doin em, I just not around to comment much lately lol!
within a week, my pc should be set up at new place, so I'll be more active then.

PaulMac

I was wondering where you were. Been missing that Miami, Cuban, Lawyer, Marine, retired guy too.

Great review Bro! And... please don't stop the more expensive ones. I may not comment all the time but I enjoy each and every one of your review Bruddah!

Aloha,

Wade

I am reading then, even though I am not posting much any more. Keep them coming bro.

Again, nice review... I pretty much concur with your tasting notes on this scotch, but I found the finish on this to be somewhat short. I would have liked a longer lingering finish for a scotch in this price range

Last month I held a little scotch tasting event in Las Vegas. I was joined by 4 friends who admittedly are not exactly scotch connoisseurs. 3 of them picked this one as their favorite while the 4th guy, who happened to be from Scotland sided with me that The Macallan 25 Fine Oak was superior. Macallan 25 sherry oak surprisingly ranked just 3rd ahead of Balvenie 25 in our very unscientific poll.

After sampling and voting on the 4 single malts we finished with a pour of Johnnie Walker Blue. Needless to say it was a great way to start the evening before retreating downstairs to smoke cigars and play a some baccarat.

For a 30 year old scotch, this is very easy to drink but almost to sweet IMHO. BTW, my bottle came in a nice wooden box.

They've upgraded the packaging since my review 4 years ago. The Balvenie 25 now comes in a wooden box now too. I'm haven't been a fan of the "fine Oak" series overall and I'm surprised it did that well although I admit I've not had the 25. Perhaps I'll have to get another bottle and revisit it sometime.

sigar_zealot said:

Last month I held a little scotch tasting event in Las Vegas. I was joined by 4 friends who admittedly are not exactly scotch connoisseurs. 3 of them picked this one as their favorite while the 4th guy, who happened to be from Scotland sided with me that The Macallan 25 Fine Oak was superior. Macallan 25 sherry oak surprisingly ranked just 3rd ahead of Balvenie 25 in our very unscientific poll.

After sampling and voting on the 4 single malts we finished with a pour of Johnnie Walker Blue. Needless to say it was a great way to start the evening before retreating downstairs to smoke cigars and play a some baccarat.

For a 30 year old scotch, this is very easy to drink but almost to sweet IMHO. BTW, my bottle came in a nice wooden box.

Click to expand...

Enjoyed your review Ray. I was gifted a bottle of the 12 year old and thought it was pretty good.
I'm not too crazy about the single malts, so far, but I do keep trying them. I havent found one that I liked better than say 12 yr old Chivas. Just something I really love about 12 yr Chivas.

I've heard folks say that a person "develops" a taste for single malt. Would you agree?
I can say that for many years I did not like any Scotch at all. About 6 years ago I had some Johnny Black and liked it, and have since started tasting others whenever I get a chance. Your Reviews are quite helpful in that area.

If you HAD to pick one Scotch, which one do you choose?

Just shoot me and get it over with rather then torture me with questions like this. There is, for me, no one scotch. Find a decent bar and try the Balvenie DoubleWood or Johnny Walker Green Label. Once you do that I'll suggest some others.

I'd say that most people develop a taste for the Islay malts much more so then the Highland ones but some like them from the start. Off hand I'd say you develop an appreciation for the flavors found in Scotch.

MadMonk said:

If you HAD to pick one Scotch, which one do you choose?

Click to expand...

The fine oak line is so different than their sherry oak line I didn't care for it at 1st either. I kept reading favorable reviews so I decided to give it a second look and got hooked. The 15 Fine Oak is a superlative dram in the $65-$75 price range.

I bumped this tread after almost 4 years of inactivity hoping others might enjoy reading your review as much as I did. Sorry for the hijack.

I'm a fan of the Fine Oak 15 as well and find all the Fine Oak series to be a welcome change to the regular sherry cask versions.

BTW I went to a Macallan tasting a month or 2 ago and they had the Fine Oak 10, 15, and 17 in the lineup. The 17 was excellent and the rep said it was actually 18 years old but they didn't want people to confuse it with the regular 18 year old sherry cask version so they labeled it 17 years old.

I've heard that from a number of sources since the release.

GregSVT said:

The 17 was excellent and the rep said it was actually 18 years old but they didn't want people to confuse it with the regular 18 year old sherry cask version so they labeled it 17 years old.

Click to expand...