Distillery

Glenfiddich whiskies

Glenfiddich is the world’s best-selling Scotch malt and one of the most famous distilleries in Speyside, in Dufftown. It was founded by William Grant at the end of the 19th century and is still in his family’s hands, through William Grant & Sons. Its triangular bottle is recognisable anywhere. It pioneered selling single malt outside Scotland, when almost all whisky was sold blended, and its fruity, fresh style is a classic gateway.

Founded
1886
Owner
William Grant & Sons
Origin
Speyside, Scotland
In the catalogue
7 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapGlenfiddich official website

  • Glenfiddich distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: my friend, Y. Kohno · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Glenfiddich distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: Markus Trienke · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Glenfiddich distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Crochet.david · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

7 whiskies

Guide to Glenfiddich

History

William Grant built the distillery with his sons, stone by stone, with second-hand stills, and began distilling on Christmas Day 1887. The family weathered the whisky crises and Prohibition and kept its independence, something very uncommon. In the 1960s the house began marketing its malt around the world, a risky bet that opened up the single malt category. It was also one of the first distilleries to open a visitor centre. The family later built Balvenie and Kininvie on the same land.

House style

Glenfiddich’s style is fruity and fresh, with pear, apple, citrus, vanilla and gentle oak. Its light spirit gains from the wood: the 15-year-old goes through a solera system inspired by sherry bodegas, and the 18-year-old combines European and American oak. It doesn’t use peat in its classic range, except in editions such as Fire & Cane, which combines peated malt and a rum cask finish.

Average flavour profile of its 7 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.1
Fresh fruit
2.9
Ripe and dried fruit
1.6
Floral and herbal
1.2
Cereal and malt
1.5
Vanilla and creamy
2.3
Oak
2.1
Spicy
1.7
Toasted
1.6
Smoky
0.4
Maritime
0.1
Body and intensity
2.5

Where to start

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is the classic: fruity, fresh and easy, ideal for beginners. The 15-year-old, with its solera, gains honey and dried fruit, and the 18-year-old adds elegance and oak. If you want something different, Fire & Cane combines smoke and rum sweetness. Trying the 12, 15 and 18 in a row is one of the best lessons in how wood and age transform the same spirit. Drink them neat or with a few drops of water.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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