Glenfiddich 21 yo Gran Reserva

The Glenfiddich 21 yo Gran Reserva is certainly not the first malt I have come across from this distillery. More commonly known is the 12-year-old, an affordable and good entry-level whisky. But I have had the opportunity to enjoy a 21-year-old from the house before. This was the legendary Glenfiddich 21 yo Havana Reserve and it was really very good. But it was not allowed to be imported into the USA with that name. Today it is only available as a collector’s item. The Gran Reserva is its successor.

Nose

The nose is greeted by the Glenfiddich very sweet and fruity. The malt seems like a sea of flowers, complemented with papaya as well as some brittle and ginger. There is also a hint of vanilla. The end is a beautiful nutty burn.

Taste

On the palate, this whisky is amazingly intense and spicy. There is also a very nice honey and, amazingly, the aroma of antique leather. You also taste the oak from the maturation, rounded off with citrus fruits and at the end again the ginger of the nose.

Finish

The finish of the Gran Reserva is again beautifully spicy. The finish is pleasantly warm and lingers long. At the end, it also gets tingly warm in the stomach.

The Glenfiddich 21 yo Gran Reserva is a very nice malt. It doesn’t quite keep up with its excellent old predecessor. This one was rounder and smoother. But for a very complex 21-year-old whisky, it is a relatively inexpensive addition to one’s collection from Speyside. I give it 87/100 points.