Glenfiddich 18 REVIEW: A Solid Big Brand 18?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 кві 2021
- I've got a Speyside single malt whisky from Glenfiddich today. The 18 is a light, easy sipper. I'll taste it and give you my thoughts. Cheers!
IG: @gwhiskytw
Business/Contact info: gwhiskytw@gmail.com
Scores:
0-75 - Crap
75-79 - Cocktail fodder
80-83 - Not bad
83-85 - Getting good here
86-89 - Delicious
90-94 - Awesome
95-100 - Cowabunga Dudes
Music: freemusicarchive.org/music/Yu...
Great reviews Geoff! Bang on the money here! I really like you format of how you go through a whisky really helps us novices out! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Vibhav. Glad you're enjoying the content! 🥃
Good, honest review and kudos not to appear condescending against the big brands. As whisky enthusiasts we might not agree with the colored, chill filtered, 40% ABV's but a lot of people do enjoy them and it would be unfair to demean their taste (private eye rolling and ranting with like minded friends is cathartic though; I do it regularly).
I have tasted the Fiddich 18 at a friend's and found it to be un-interesting. It has all the usual Glenfiddich characters but definitely not worth the price. The best Glenfiddich I have tried is the Glenfiddich 19 age of discovery madeira cask. Even with a 40% ABV, that whisky provides a lot of depth and complexity. The Fiddich 15 solera cask is decent as well. For beginners, the 12 should suffice, to release their 18 years at 40% is disappointing. I do agree that along with Glenlivet, it is one of the best for beginners. Sometimes on a warm summer day, I love the fruit basket, floral bouquet presentation.
However, all that being said, I always keep a Fiddich 12 and glenlivet 12 in my collection purely as a "calibration whisky". Usually I pour myself a glass of one of these two before I taste something new to calibrate my palate to familiar notes. The added advantage of these mass consumed big brad whisky's is consistency, so I can always count on those typical signature notes and if I find I can smell and taste them accurately, I can go ahead with my tasting.
Well I just stated in another thread that I enjoy Glenlivet 18, but there are actually a few Glenlivet releases that I thoroughly enjoy. I'm less enamoured with Fiddich. I've never been big on the 12, and you seem to like the 15 Solera more than me. In fact, of the core range this would probably be my go-to. However pricing should be considered. I've mentioned in the past that we get good prices in Taiwan. I paid about $50 USD for this, which is reasonable. I've seen those Age of Discovery bottlings, but never considered buying them. 40% and not cheap...
@@Gwhisky I mean the Solera 15 is ok, I wouldn't buy it. Same with the age of discovery bottles. I know someone who only drinks Speyside whisky, and by that I mean Glenlivet and Glenfiddich. He has 3! Yes 3 of the age of discovery bottlings. The madeira cask is the best one I have tried among those. I would never dream of spending 160$ and more on those.
I started with the 12 then fell out of love, then enjoyed the 15 solera even more, but wont be bying an 18 bottled at 40%. I recommend the Glenfiddich 15 cask strength Distiller Edition. Apples as you say. You can always blend with it. My bottle of Fire and cane was young and poor, with a tired soapy cask note. I'll bear the 18 in mind for beginners more now, thanks for your review!
Thanks for watching WDG! I haven't had the Distiller Edition in years. Might be one to come back to!
Nice review! I've seen this 18 get a lot of crap in reviews, so it's interesting to see a favorable score here. I do like Glenfiddich. The 12 and 15 are my go-tos for something light to casually sip. The 14 Bourbon Barrel is interesting in that it actually packs a little heat in the spirit and it's been the bottle that's gone down the fastest. I also have the Fire and Cane, that I appreciate for its quite unique peat-fruit-spice profile, as well as the Project XX, that has really astonished and impressed me for its complexity due to how it is blended.
I haven't had the Project XX or the Fire & Cane, but I definitely like the 18. The 12 has never been a favourite, but I haven't had it in years. I might have to revisit it at some point. Cheers ConcaCon!
😮😅🎉
I just watched your video because I tried this whiskey from a 200ml bottle, part of a set of three bottles: the 12, the 15, and the 18. I should mention that in the US (or at least in this set) the 18 comes at 43% ABV. I don’t know how much better, if any, that makes it, but you’re right: this would be a lot more interesting non-chill filtered and about 46% ABV.
That's true of a lot of things, but yeah this one in particular does feel stifled by the weak specs. Cheers.
A approachable whisky. I do enjoy it. It’s something you give a gift to your friends that don’t know much about whisky
Yeah this is definitely a good gift idea!
one of my girlfriend favorite whiskies :D I think if it was bottled at at least 43% and non chillfiltered it wouldve been very good! I also had some nice leather notes next to the typical for GF apple pear notes! Its very well priced in Austria as well, coasts around 65€, ideal for beginers for sure!
Not a bad price. And I agree, it has potential if only we had better specs!
Great, straight to the point review, as always ;)
Regarding versions for whisky drinkers, you mentioned some from Glenlivet but Glenfiddich has at least 1 expression I would consider worthy - the 15yo distillers edition, which is non-chill filtered and bottled at 51%... :O I know, right? :D I was also not aware of it until someone offered me one.
I still haven't tried it yet, but I would love to hear your opinion about it. Keep up the awesome work! Cheers
I don't think I've seen that bottle in years. I never tried it, and I believe it's discontinued. Good age statement and abv though. Could be a good one!
The 18Y bottles are splendid, both the one you have and the new version... Other than that, it was a solid review, sir...
I haven't had this in a while, but I had Glenlivet 18 over the holidays, the old 43% one, and I really liked it. I have no idea about the new 40% anemic version of Glenlivet 18, but I was gifted a bottle of it that I'll probably regift when the opportunity presents itself; $100+ 40% malts rub me the wrong way.
As for the value of these bottles (Glenfiddich and Glenlivet 12 & 18 are joined at the hip in my mind's eye) to a really Scotch drinker, and not just a holiday drinker looking for something "smooth", and extra $20 (or less) can get you a Bunnahabhain 18, and that might be one of the very best bottles on the market these days✌️
The Glenlivet 18 (43%) is actually one of my favorite (non-peated) whisky noses. It has a delightful aroma and the taste is exceptional as well. Much better than the Fiddich 18. Unfortunately, these days all you can find, at least in the tri-state area is the 40% bottling, which is decent but falls short of its predecessor. I have noticed however, that a lot of time (>40mins) in the glass opens up a lot of hidden aromas and flavors that we almost immediately get in the 43%.
Spot on about paying a little more for Bunna 18. Delicious stuff. Also the discontinued Laphroaig 18 was top notch at a great price.
@@yoursinsincerely39 Ledaig 18 is also about the same price as the Bunnahabhain 18 (about $120), so if you're looking for a peat-bomb with some age on it, that's the one.
I agree with both of you. That Glenlivet 18 (43%) is actually quite fantastic. I finished a bottle a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Much much better than the Fiddich. I'm not particularly interested in dishing out the money for the new 40% release. Luckily there are a few bottles of old 18 on the shelves here, so I'll have to grab one or two for “the vault.”
@@Gwhisky I might need to do the same if I can still find it.
@@MrChristopherMolloy Agreed, the Ledaig 18 is also fantastic. Never find that on the shelves here though. As much as I love PA, when it comes to whisky selection it is a veritable barren land.
I wonder what this would be like with 200 ml's of a suitable cask strength whisky added.
Probably better!
And Macallan 12 sherry cask in Sam's club here is 80$, I had bought it twice already
Mac 12 Sherry is delicious. The abv gets to me, but that's true of most things at 40%. Delicious flavours in it, though.
I dont understand how all these youtube reviews of this bottle keep getting the 40 percent version. Ive gotten two bottles and theyre both 43 percent. Are you in Canada or something? lol what am I missing? Am i just getting lucky?
If you're in the States most standard entry level scotches are bumped up to 43%, where the rest of the world is stuck with the 40% version. Count yourself lucky! 🥃🇺🇸
Glenfiddich 18 vs Aberlour 18? Which one wins? Cheers!
Tough one. Can't say I've done the side-by-side... yet. I assume Aberlour though. 🥃
@@Gwhisky That would be my guess too. But haven't tried either (inlaw has both... but he has so many crazy good bottles that I never go for a 40% when I visit).
This review is what the British call 'damning with faint praise' lol!
😂😂😂
I don't spend any money on any glenfiddich, sorry and that 18 year old here in Arkansas cost way way over 100$, I don't even remember exactly how much, it's laughable, just the Macallan 12 sherry cask is 85$ here and it's smooth and awesome taste compared to that glenfiddich 18, I agree with you that even Glenlivet is better in rish flavors, Way better in my opinion compared to glenfiddich,
Eesh. I don't think I could afford to have this channel anywhere but Taiwan. 😂
Yeah I like it “ok” at $50 USD. $100 is crazy for this.
@@Gwhisky oh, WOw 😲, yes at 50$ is ok I would try it, but here any whisky 16 ,18 will jump over the 100$ , I am glad for you that you get those prices there,
But hey Jeff ,great review you did, fair and honest, I never miss any of your reviews, cheers 🥃
@@greenvalley651 Yeah prices here usually hover between 70-85% of American prices. Occasionally we pay literally half, like with this Glenfiddich. The affordability of whisky here is part of the reason I started getting into it in the first place. It's also why I don't reference specific prices in my reviews.
And thanks for watching man. Always happy to see a comment from you!
@@Gwhisky thank you, and I greatly appreciate your replies. We all do,in the whisky community
In germany this is 80€ and in japan where I am atm its 90€. I think americans are, for once, getting ripped off
Haha, very passive aggressive towards Glenfiddich, but I agree it is meh
第一次喝菲迪18的每個台灣人:「順!」
對啊。全部的Glenfiddich都很順！Goes down easy!
@@Gwhisky Wait, you understand Mandarin? Or was that just Google translate? Just curious. BTW, the 18yo got a redesign recently.
@@ccchris6750 My Mandarin is decent, although I'm far from fluent. And yes, I've seen the redesign!
Worrisome review. At 190 dollars per unit in Virginia, this looks as though Virginia is ripping off the customers with very high price for a mediocre SW.