Glenfiddich announced the release of the Glenfiddich 1978 Vintage Reserve, an exceptional single malt with classic Glenfiddich characteristics. This year’s Vintage Reserve is not only the first released under the stewardship of Glenfiddich’s recently appointed Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, but also the first Vintage Reserve selected via Twitter.
On 9th June 2010, Brian Kinsman was joined online by a global panel of eight influential whisky bloggers and journalists. The group nosed and tasted four single malts and compared tasting notes via the microblogging site. Their thoughts and impressions on each sample were tweeted and followed live on www.glenfiddichvintagereserve.com, before the panel came to a conclusion and selected cask number 28152, which has a strength of 50.7% ABV, as their favourite.
The panel agreed that cask number 28152 has a beautifully balanced nose with the hallmark Glenfiddich single malt pear and fruity character. Summer grass, hints of orange marmalade, green bananas, herbs – thyme and bay leaf – and delicate toffee oak notes shine through. It is velvety smooth to the taste, with rich vanilla oak flavours intriguingly punctuated with a vibrant fruitiness. The addition of a little water accentuates the fruit aspect with distinct citrus and red summer berries notes. Over time the spicy character comes through without ever dominating. Its finish is long and rich with the signature fruity distillery character leaving a lasting impression.
The full conversation can be viewed on Twitter at search.twitter.com/search?q=%23vintagereserve or at www.glenfiddichvintagereserve.com.