Glenfiddich 26 Year Old Excellence

This 26 Year Old from Glenfiddich is something special. The whisky matured exclusively in bourbon casks from the Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky (so no sherry casks in the mix). It was christened Excellence. Sounds expensive, no? It is. A bottle will set you back around 450 EUR. Ouch. But let us forget the price and enjoy the dram.

The nose is wonderfully sweet and soft. Apricots, pineapple, green plums, overripe apples and pink melon. The whole is sprinkled with icing sugar. The second whiff offers a hint of banana, honey and white chocolate. A twig of mint. All of it very soft, but no less pleasant for all that.

The arrival is very soft and for a moment it feels like it will fall apart. The nose promised so much, but the palate cannot deliver. Loads more apples, but also a lot more wood. Spices like ginger and pepper push the fruit away. The pineapple and green plums suffer for it and cannot push through.

The spices fade quickly in the rather short finish, to be replaced by loads of sweetness, although it feels more like sugar then fruit.

Great nose, but alas that cannot be said of the palate and finish. Pity, for I had high expectations for this one. Too high expectations, it would seem.

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