Sometimes writing this column is hard, coming up with something to review week in week out can be downright difficult. When that happens, I usually sit in front of the computer flicking between Zoo Weekly’s Babe of the Day and camper trailer websites just wishing, and waiting for creativity to strike.
Other times you sit down and just can’t wait to have a forum to tell people about how good something is. This is one of those columns!
Glenfiddich has introduced a new single malt Scotch whisky, to the Australian market called Rich Oak, matured for 14 years, then finished for 12 weeks in new American and Spanish oak casks – a first for the single malt Scotch whisky industry. So, all in the name of research, I got a few guys together to go to lunch and give the new Rich Oak and a few of the Glenfiddich core range a bash.
Glenfiddich Distillery was founded in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland, in the valley of the River Fiddich. It is sold in 180 countries, and according to the numbers, Glenfiddich accounts for about 35% of single malt sales worldwide.
No other single malt has collected as many of the industry’s most prestigious accolades since 2000 as Glenfiddich. Judges have consistently rewarded Glenfiddich’s whiskies with gold, silver and bronze medals year upon year since records began. In 2009, they took out the Distiller of the Year title, which they had won previously in 2008, 2006 and 2005. I’m assuming they know what they’re doing.
To put it simply, Glenfiddich runs with a rather novel concept, making bloody great scotch, and doing it at great prices! With December and Christmas now starting to appear on many calendars, I reckon this new Rich Oak should be on the top of everyone’s wish list!
The Whiskies:
14 year old Rich Oak all I can say is WOW. The nose shows all the great work done with the oak; it’s rich and spicy with tonnes of vanilla, apricots, toffee and pear. On the tongue there is no bite from the alcohol, which means it super easy to drink straight. There was an initial tingle, and then the oak kicks in with vanilla, and zesty citrus. Reminds me that creating great Scotch is a true skill, an art form really.
12 Year Old – fresh and fruity on the nose, with a hint of pear but a high alcohol smell. On the tongue there is an initial bite from the alcohol, then that fruitiness shows through but with butterscotch and malt. A long, smooth finish.
15 Year Old – complex on the nose, with rich dark fruit and comments were made about a touch of honey and vanilla. No alcohol hit on the nose or the tongue, it was silky smooth and full bodied. There was oak, cinnamon a touch of ginger, a very long sweet lingering finish. I’d spring the extra dollars for this over the 12yo any day of the week, but would probably put my hand a little deeper into my pocket for the Rich Oak.
18 Year Old – an incredibly rich aroma that “smells like Christmas in England” with sweet fruit cake, spiced apple, floral and a good lick of oak. On the tongue there is no bite from the alcohol, and shows oak, honey, a touch of smoke and lashings of dried fruit, with a long warm, lingering finish.
21 Year Old – Intense and sweet with toffee, oak and fig, not as floral as the 18yo but nicer in its own way. On the tongue we found it initially soft, then suddenly alive. Leather, peppery, a touch of smoke and vanilla from the oak, with a huge warm spicy lingering finish that is still there long after the last drop has rolled down your throat.
