Whisky : Glenfiddich Fire & Cane

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 43%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon, Latin Rum Cask Finish

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose : It’s hard to miss the delicate smoke of burnt sugar, as if someone was making caramel in the next room but did not watch the pan close enough. Toasted marshmallow gives the hint of a campfire lit evening. There is an odd note that reminds me of an inkwell. The wife would add that it really does smell like a cane field fire, the kind they used to burn around these parts after the harvest.

Palate : Astringent sweet spice like a cinnamon candy. The body is notably thin and the smoke is quite subtle, even faint. There is a really nice malty quality that I did not expect, its almost creamy like a malted milkshake.

Finish : Medium finish, notes of burning candy and cola linger on the palate.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Camping in the back yard as a child when your toasted marshmallows are not toasted on a real fire, but the stove inside and washed down with a cold cola. It’s sweet, it’s warm, it’s a late summer evening

Something a bit Better : Ardbeg Uigaedail (deeper stronger flavors of sweet smoke)

Something Similar : Douglas Laing's Rock Oyster (saltier, similar mild peat, more citrus sweet)

Something a bit Worse : Hakushu 12 Year (similar body, less peat, more green apple)

Notes : I’ve come to think the best way to describe this dram is ‘Baby Uigeadail.’ At half the price, it’s half the strength, and half the flavor. I am not sure that’s a worthwhile trade off, but I would be absolutely lying if I did not admit to really enjoying this bottle and being a bit sad that it disappeared so quickly.

The peated barley Glenfiddich distilled came from Balvenie’s malting floor when they began their ‘peat week’ experiments back in 2003. This dram definitely has some of that 15 year old peated scotch, but it has been cut with a bunch of younger material, some peated and some not. It’s a good value for what it is; the rum finish adds some great astringent burnt brown sugar, but I wish the peat smoke was stronger. I do appreciate them making a competitively priced dram, the entry price was low enough that, despite my lukewarm feelings for Glenfiddich, a few positive reviews were all it took to get me to pull the trigger and give it a try.

I would love to try a version of this that had not been chill-filtered and bottled at cask strength; something to give the dram a bit more body and finish which is all I found it really lacking. It is by far the most appealing of the Glenfiddich Experiment Series I have tried, proof that 4th time is a charm? Either way, I will be on the lookout for future ‘fiddich peated outturns.