In 2016, Glenfiddich released the Glenfiddich IPA Cask offering to inaugurate their Experimental Series. This yearly series is geared toward, as the name indicates, experimenting and pushing the envelope of what might be considered normal within the industry while still playing within regulatory bounds. This expression takes the current trend of cask finishing and adds a twist by doing so in barrels that once held an IPA-style beer at Speyside Craft Brewing specially created by a collaboration between Master Blender Brian Kinsman and Craft Beer Expert Seb Jones.
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region: Speyside
Age: NAS
Strength: 43%
Price: $51.99
Maturation: IPA casks from Speyside Craft Brewing
Location: Dufftown
Nose: Beer, floral, hops
Palate: Fruit, butter
Finish: Beer, fruit
Comments: No water needed, but goes surprisingly well with snacks like crackers or nuts. Give it some time to breathe.
Adam – I wasn’t keen on the Glenfiddich IPA Cask at first. I’m lukewarm about both IPAs and a lot of Speyside malts in general. However, after some pitching by the staff at a local pub, I began to give away my earlier misgivings and prejudices. And sometimes that’s all it takes, folks. I’d say the distillery was successful in somehow transmuting elements of an IPA into their scotch. There’s definitely a light beer in the smell and finish, which couples well with the whisky’s natural fruit and floral profile. This one is an easy sipper, built for Sunday afternoons watching a sports game or relaxing with friends. While I wish I knew the age profile of the spirits inside, it is relatively smooth and lacks the rough edges denoting too much raw juice. Enough complexity to keep you somewhat engaged but not enough to be distracting if this is your companion on a backyard party. Makes a pretty decent summer scotch too, where the fruit and floral elements can shine without getting steamrolled by cool weather and peat monsters.
Jenny – This reminds me of an IPA, definitely.
Meghan – I don’t like IPAs so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this whisky. However, I found that it was quite enjoyable. I get the floral and herbal notes of hops without the acrid bitterness that I despise in an IPA. So, this was like all of the fun of an IPA without any of the gross. I’m sure some IPA die hards would go faint and clutch at their Mou-vember moustaches at that statement, but I don’t drink whisky for them (and I doubt we share much in preferred taste profiles if we did). Overall, the whisky is a bit of a one-note experience. It’s a whisky that has flavor aspects of IPA but there’s not much more to it. Definitely a bit funky and can mess with your head a bit about what you are drinking. It would be a great drink for a hot day, something not many scotches can pull off. A fun diversion from the norm, that’s to be sure.
“Subtle at the beginning then takes a few twists and turns.“
Michael – It has a nice oily texture on the tongue.
Peter – The Glenfiddich IPA Cask has different phases. It’s subtle at the beginning then takes a few twists and turns. This is the most complex whisky I’ve had in a while. I think it’s very nice.
Mary-Fred – I actually like this one. It’s comfortable like a rocking chair. I do get a little of the beer influence but I had to be reminded. It’s fairly subtle.
Caitlin – The Glenfiddich IPA Cask smells like the subway to me. It smells like Brooklyn.
Ben – This talks to me. Like I walked into a room where something has already happened. Like something was polished, or maybe wood was finished. There’s the sweet linseed oil and tongue oil curing. This is a fun house one. What mirror am I looking into? I feel like even after you’ve taken a sip, you can’t remember what you just had, so you need to take another sip.
