Whisky : Wardhead (Glenfiddich) 20 Year, The Whiskyfind “Jazzin”

Country/Region : Scotland/Teaspooned Malt

ABV : 52.7%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon Hogshead

Age : 20 Years (Distilled 1997, Bottled 2017)

Nose : Opened into sliced green apples, fresh cut roses, and bruised pineapples.  Orange and earthy floral garden notes parted to reveal buttery shortbread cookies and a faint mineral note.

Palate : Medium bodied with a crisp flavor profile.  Sweet citrus, pear custard tart, apple skins, dried pineapples, and green peppers provided an array of fruity notes.  Sweet honey carried a bit of pepper heat while on the finish sunflowers and waxy breadfruit sap appeared at the end.

Finish :  Lingering notes of vanilla, shortbread, and tropical fruit jam.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Cookies in the Garden

Notes : A beautiful teaspooned malt from Glenfiddich this was leagues beyond just about anything I have had from the distillery.  A teaspooned malt, for those unfamiliar with the term, is one that has had another malt added to it during production or casking.  In the case of Wardhead a bit of spirit from Balvenie next door is added so that the cask can never be bottled as “Glenfiddich” or a single malt though in some cases the teaspooning is really just a recording keeping trick rather than an actual addition.

I had pretty low expectations coming into this one, I have not been a huge fan of the distillery— its sweet and sticky character has never tickled my fancy in the past.  Yet, this was not just acceptable, it was actually quite good.  Sweet fruits balanced nicely against earthy and floral notes while malty notes of pastries and shortbread hung in the background.  This was well balanced and quite tasty.  The flavor profile reminded me a lot of Spec’s Arran 21 Year single cask, though this Wardhead had a much better body and a longer finish.  Even my wife, the peat monster, really enjoyed this dram, which quite surprised me.  Overall a wonderful example of what Glenfiddich can be at cask strength and without any heavy cask influence.