Glenfiddich Select Cask

Nose: fruit, and lots of it. Fresh fruit, stewed fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, plums. Also some caramel sauce. This is very nice. The classic malty, mossy Glenfiddich character is complemented well by the various casks employed here, including red wine casks. Plump, juicy, mouthwatering aroma.

Taste: perfect arrival of malty sweetness followed closely by vibrant European oak. Extra layers of richness develop as it spreads across the tongue. The texture is extremely soft yet full. This is exactly how I hoped it would taste. Fruit jam on toast, only in this case the toast is made of oak. Lip-smacking stuff.

Finish: a gradual fade, consistent with the flavours and aromas, which is to say very fruity. No off-key notes either, which is often a problem when wine or sherry casks are employed (at least, so it seems to me).

Balance: I'm impressed. This is markedly better than the more expensive Reserve Cask I tried months ago. Bigger body, more flavour development. One of those instances where a whisky is exactly what I expected it to be, in a good way. As an aside: an empty glass can often be revealing, and here it reveals notes of spice and even some dark chocolate.

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