Glenfiddich 12 year single malt [Archive]

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GoldenRivet

11-25-10, 12:25 AM

Any opinions on the 12, 15 and 18 year single malt from Glenfiddich?

I have heard to start with the 12 year for its lighter, more gentle taste rather than go for the elders.

Looking for a good "session sipper" for an evening by the fire with a good cigar :smug:.

Thanks!

http://blog.glenfiddich.com/wp-content/uploads/Glenfiddich%20Caoran%20Reserve%2012%20Years%20Old. jpg

Thomen

11-25-10, 01:45 AM

I am so jealous right now... I used to have a nice glass (no ice, please) every once in awhile. Loving it since the my first sip. :up:

TarJak

11-25-10, 02:02 AM

I've got a bottle of the 12 open now and it's light smooth and well worth having about for when you want a quiet dram. The elders are all good too. If you want something a bit different try the 15 yo Solera Reserve. You get chocolate, honey, spices as well as the peaty wood flavours familiar to other Glen's.

Thinking about it I might just have a glass tonight when I finish this beer.

Buddahaid

11-25-10, 02:04 AM

Mmmmmmm.........

Love the single malts!

antikristuseke

11-25-10, 03:24 AM

I am too partial to islay malts to be objective about other whisky.

Betonov

11-25-10, 05:55 AM

Rhodes

11-25-10, 06:01 AM

Last monday I run all the supermarkets for a Glenmorris or Glenmorrich (my father and is english...) but only find out Glenfiddich. I think 12 years were at 33€ or something.
I do not like whisky, I more a brandy and conhac person!

Skybird

11-25-10, 06:18 AM

Enjoy it rarely only, maybe 3-4 times a year, but then I enjoy it indeed. Don'T want to claim being an expert and of great knoweldge on whisky, I am not, but I tasted maybe a dozen different brands over the past few years now, the usual bunch of famous Scottish suspects. I ended up to prefer Dalwhinnie (15 yrs) and, if I want an even softer touch, a Irishman, Jameson 1780 (12 yrs).

I prefer the mild over the routh ones in general. Laphroig - oh my dear! :wah:

Platapus

11-25-10, 08:03 AM

Dont want to sound like a total idiot but I got to clear this:
12 years means it has been in the barrel for 12 years right, if it was in the barrel for 12 years and then in the bottle for 12 years its still 12 years old. Is this right or am I missing something??

You are correct. One can't buy a bottle of Scotch and put it on the shelf for 12 years and think you have scotch that is aged 12 years. :nope: Well actually it has aged 12 years, but not in a good way.

The key is the verb "aged" which indicates a specific process as opposed to just getting old.

Platapus

11-25-10, 08:07 AM

Looking for a good "session sipper" for an evening by the fire with a good cigar :smug:.

Speaking as an ex-boozer. I would not mix a good scotch with a cigar. :nope: If you are going to smoke a cigar, stick with a blended scotch. Your palate won't know the difference.

The image of sitting down with a good scotch and a cigar sounds appealing, the the two activities don't really complement each other.

You would be better off enjoying them separately IMHO.

NeonSamurai

11-25-10, 08:42 AM

I agree with that, also I think brandy or cognac goes a bit better with cigars.

McBeck

11-25-10, 08:51 AM

I vote for a Cuban and a glass of Ron Zacapa (rum) :salute:

Bilge_Rat

11-25-10, 12:00 PM

Glenfiddich is a good place to start although I find it too light for my taste. I have tried the 12, 15 and 18 year olds, but the difference between each is very subtle. I would put the Glenlivet and the Bowmore in the same category.

A scotch I would reccommend which is full bodied and reasonably priced is the Glenmorangie. The Arbelour or Auchentoshan are also good.

Takeda Shingen

11-25-10, 12:08 PM

You've made a good choice there, GR. As Bilge Rat said, it is a light, and very smooth-tasting scotch. You will enjoy it with a good smoke. As a general rule, older is better; go with the 18, as the Glenfiddich brand is mild, even aged.

This thread is making me thirsty. It's past noon here (7 minutes). :D

Jimbuna

11-25-10, 12:45 PM

Not a whisky drinker but Glenfiddich is a good choice....personally I prefer the Irish variants on the odd occasion I partake.

Far better make it a good cognac if your going to have a cigar.

Schöneboom

11-25-10, 12:55 PM

Aye, Glenfiddich 12 is always a fine choice and relatively easy to find. If you have a good selection in your area, I can recommend the Balvenie Doublewood. Aged first in bourbon oak, then sherry oak. Smooth, mellow, marvelously complex. Shopping around, you might find it for about $37 for 750 ml. Special occasions, naturally.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Penguin

11-25-10, 01:03 PM

The 12 yr old Glenfiddish is a good choice in the lower-price segment of the Single Malts. Here we pay ~20 € per bottle; for comparision: Jack Daniels goes for about 16, and Jum Beam for about 13 euros - all prices for 0,7 liter. I wonder how much it is in the Republic of TX?

I tasted the 18 year old one once and it is a good one, but not really worth the extra charge. For the price of the 18yr old I would go with some other Singlwe Malt, what Bilge Rat wrote: Glenmorangie is a great choice!

I am a drinking barbarian, in no way an expert, but I made for myself the rule that you can't go wrong with a malt that starts with "Glen-". I hope the experts won't beat me up me for this - or put a kill team on me :03:.

I can't tell anything about which drink is good with a cigar, as I usually always smoke when I drink. :DL

Rockstar

11-25-10, 01:55 PM

clive bradbury

11-25-10, 04:08 PM

antikristuseke

11-25-10, 04:19 PM

Caol Ila is the greates of the Islay malts. I offer to do violence upon any mans body who disagrees. :D

Bilge_Rat

11-25-10, 04:30 PM

Glenmorangie is a nice choice - very light - and a good introduction to the water of life. For those who prefer more complex flavours, may I recommend the Islay malts - Bowmore, and the greatest of them all - Lagavulin.

I will have to give the Lagavulin a try, although it is can. $ 114 for the 12 year old here.

scotch is an expensive habit..:wah:

antikristuseke

11-25-10, 04:35 PM

Cheaper than cocaine though.

jumpy

11-25-10, 07:31 PM

Much preferred Glenlivet myself.

JScones

11-25-10, 08:22 PM

Preferred Johnnie Walker's Blue Label which I would on occasion purchase at the NEX for 120.00 a bottle. Went well with a fine tobacco, it was the only thing I could stand to combine with a great smoke.

Glenfiddich is one I always enjoyed with company and a helluva lot cheaper to boot.
I used to drink Glenfiddich about 20 years ago, but now JW Blue is the only Scotch I drink. Not cheap here at around $260+ a bottle, even moreso when I go through a bottle every week or two, but it is one of my few indulgences...

GoldenRivet

11-25-10, 09:40 PM

Thanks for all the input guys. Seems like a good drink. I'll have to go pick up a bottle soon.

Lots mentioned cognac. Any recommendations?

Takeda Shingen

11-25-10, 10:50 PM

A friend of mine loves Delamain Vesper, but it is pricey. Sorry that I can't be of more assistance. I don't care for the brandys.

Schöneboom

11-25-10, 11:18 PM

Some of the finest brandy on Earth is made here in California: Germain-Robin. Their Craft Method Brandy, aka Fine Alambic Brandy, is about $43 for 750 ml; their XO Brandy is about $100. Look up the reviews, I'm truly not kidding -- if Churchill were alive, I wouldn't hesitate to serve him this.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-01-27/wine/17357139_1_germain-robin-ansley-coale-brandy

Herr_Pete

11-26-10, 02:19 AM

Black Grouse is my firm favourite at the moment. Smooth, Aromatic with Peaty flavours. Made by the same company who make Famous Grouse. For every Black Grouse bought a donation goes to preserve these rare birds. Not entirely sure if Black Grouse is available in the States but if it is I would certainly give it a try.

GoldenRivet

11-26-10, 02:21 AM

if Churchill were alive, I wouldn't hesitate to serve him this.

:hmmm:

Now thats saying something

Tribesman

11-26-10, 02:54 AM

Now thats saying something
Not really as he was a notorious drunk so you could have thrown him a paper cup filled with Buckfast

joea

11-26-10, 03:59 AM

Caol Ila is the greates of the Islay malts. I offer to do violence upon any mans body who disagrees. :D

:yeah: Got an 18 year old Caol Ila for my birthday 2 years ago. Best single malt ever, but have not been able to find another bottle. :wah: 10 and 12 year old but not 18.

antikristuseke

11-26-10, 04:02 AM

Personally I prefer the 12yo over the 18 and it is a bit cheaper, though that is a bonus.

TarJak

11-26-10, 05:06 AM

I'd leave the cigar unlit until after you finish your whiskey. A cognac is more traditional partner for a good cigar but personally think that the smoke spoils the flavour of whatever you are drinking and should be enjoyed on it's own, unless your intent is to improve the taste of the smoke.:D

If you have the money try a Louis XIII de Remy Martin, though personally I prefer their Champagne cognac to the XIII.

Jimbuna

11-26-10, 09:42 AM

This is my regular brandy choice....always a bottle or three in the buna residence.

http://www.northaugustawine.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/hennessy.343134704_std.jpg

Kaye T. Bai

11-26-10, 11:16 AM

Pfft. Tennessee Whiskey FTW.

Takeda Shingen

11-26-10, 12:23 PM

Just be warned that you can expect to drop in the neighborhood of $350 US for a bottle of Louis XIII. Cognac tends to be one of the more expensive liquors.

GoldenRivet

11-26-10, 03:42 PM

Not really as he was a notorious drunk so you could have thrown him a paper cup filled with Buckfast

LOL

The Third Man

11-26-10, 03:50 PM

I like Tulamore Dew. A very smooth Irish Whiskey. More so than Jameson.

Platapus

11-26-10, 06:43 PM

Not really as he was a notorious drunk so you could have thrown him a paper cup filled with Buckfast

For a drunken paralytic he's putting up a damn good fight.

Oops wrong forum. :oops:

:D

frau kaleun

11-26-10, 07:03 PM

For a drunken paralytic he's putting up a damn good fight.

Oops wrong forum. :oops:

:D

There is no "wrong forum" when it comes to Das Boot quotes. :yeah:

Penguin

11-30-10, 12:10 PM

Gargamel

11-30-10, 11:17 PM

I had an u-boot special cocktail at the weekend.
I gave the Islays a chance and tried the 10 year Laphroag. Great taste at the beginning, very smoky and "peaty". But the aftertaste is too much like medical mouthwash for my taste. My friend who drank with me liked it though.
So there's still half a bottle left. Though I doubt it will last long considering my alcoholic friends...:DL

Pretty sure the Uboat special is actual what is called a "Cement Mixer"

Lime or Lemon juice mixed with Cream, Milk (Canned in Das boot's case I believe), or Irish Cream.

A good bartender can layer the 2 in a shot glass without having them mix, and then you have your victim mix it in their mouth. The Juice curdles the Cream and it gets chunky.

For a cigar, try a nice Maduro, as I find the softer and more mellow tones would nicely accent the crisp scotch flavor. A lighter leaf, at least IMO, is sharper and has more bite.

I have on, occasion, used home made brandy (Mom makes it, don't ask, I Dunno, but it is quite good) to dip the tip (unlit end, duh) of my cigars in. Adds a lot of flavor to the smoke, sweetens it up, can make a bitter smoke more pleasurable.

To be honest, it could be really bad Brandy, I've never really tried anything else. Gonna have to follow JB's idea and get some Hennesy.

GoldenRivet

12-01-10, 12:05 AM

For a cigar, try a nice Maduro, as I find the softer and more mellow tones would nicely accent the crisp scotch flavor. A lighter leaf, at least IMO, is sharper and has more bite.

Thanks for that :up:

dip the tip (unlit end, duh) of my cigars in.

That would be the "head" of the cigar. The hot end being - you guessed it - the "foot".