Whisky : Glenfiddich 22 Year, Morrison & MacKay “Wardhead” for R/Scotch 

Country/Region : Scotland/Tea-spooned Malt

ABV : 54.7%

Cask : Refill Hogshead

Age : 22 Year (Distilled 20 Feb. 1997, Bottled 7 Oct. 2019)

Nose : A bounty of orchard fruits— green apples, crisp pears, and subtle pastries.  Hints of honey, graham cracker, and florals— jasmine and mint especially.

Palate : Medium-bodied with orchard fruit, honey, and pastries.  A wave of sweet clover honey washed in sliced green apples, pears, and hints of vanilla.  Cinnamon and sugar with slivered almonds and buttery pastry dough brought to mind apple pie.  A mellow chalkiness remained at the end with subtle floral notes.

Finish : Lingering vanilla and green apple.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Autumn Pie Time

Notes : I waited a long time to review this bottle. I kept hoping something would click so I could fall in love and score it higher. I started to give up on that after I reviewed a very similar bottle, which may even have been a sister cask, and gave it a higher score. When I did that review, I set the two drams side by side to see how they compared but still put off writing up a review of this Wardhead. I am horrible at reviewing bottles I own in a timely manner— samples, loaners, and tasting event drams always seem to cut in front and demand my attention.

For those new to the term Wardhead, it is a common moniker for Glenfiddich that has been tea-spooned with malt from neighboring Balvenie. Adding a few drops of malt from one distillery to another effectively prevents anyone from bottling that whiskey as a single malt or attempting to use the distillery’s name. There are, of course, other more simple, practical, and legal means to protect a trademark beyond just tea-spooning. Even that practice can often be fiction— a trick of paperwork rather than anyone bringing over a pint of whisky from neighboring Balvenie and anointing casks before selling them on.

This bottle exhibited a profile of straightforward, uncomplicated flavors with a good mouthfeel and decent finish. It was not blow-your-socks-off whisky, but it was the kind of bottle sure to win universal acceptance. Even my aversion to apple notes and sweeter scotch did not entirely distract me from enjoying this. That said, if I could go back, I probably would not have bought a bottle of this and probably should have bought an extra one of the Ardmore. That proved more to my taste, and maybe someday I will get around to reviewing it as well.