Glenfiddich
Encyclopedia
Speyside Single Malts
Speyside single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland....
single malt
Single malt Scotch
Single Malt Scotch is whisky made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient...
Scotch
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
distillery
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
owned by William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned Scottish company which distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is now run by the descendants of the founder. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky...
in Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Glenfiddich means ‘Valley of the deer’ in Gaelic, hence the presence of a deer symbol on Glenfiddich bottles.
History
The Glenfiddich Distillery was founded in 1886 by William GrantWilliam Grant (businessman)
William Grant was a Scottish distiller and entrepreneur who founded William Grant & Sons, the manufacturer of Glenfiddich, as such, the first company in the world to market a true single-malt whisky and a leading brand today....
in Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in the valley of the River Fiddich
River Fiddich
The River Fiddich is a right bank tributary of the River Spey in northeast Scotland. It rises on the eastern slopes of Corriehabbie Hill in Glenfiddich Forest and flows northeastwards beneath the A941 road, past Auchindown Castle to a sharp bend adjacent to the A920 road where it turns westwards to...
. The Glenfiddich single malt whisky first ran from the still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s on Christmas Day, 1887.
Following difficult times in the 1960s and 70s, many small, independent distillers were bought up or went out of business. In order to survive, W. Grant & Sons expanded their production of the drink, and introduced advertising campaigns, a visitors' centre and from 1957 packaged their whisky in distinctive triangular bottles.
Later, W. Grant & Sons was one of the first distilleries to package its bottles in tubes and gift tins, as well as recognising the importance of the duty-free market for spirits. This marketing strategy was successful, and Glenfiddich has now become the world's best-selling single malt. It is sold in 180 countries, and accounts for about 35% of single malt sales.
Production
The whisky is the only Highland or Speyside Scotch whisky to be distilled, matured and bottled at a single distillery. Like other distilleries, such as Glen Grant and Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich uses a single source of natural spring water. This source is the Robbie Dhu springs. Glenfiddich is matured in oak casks such as rumRum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
casks from Cuba (in the case of Gran Reserva), Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
barrels from America (Ancient Reserve), or sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
butts from Jerez in Spain.
Whiskys
Glenfiddich is bottled at many ages. Their whiskies include- Glenfiddich Special Reserve 12yr
- Glenfiddich Caoran Reserve 12yr
- Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15yr
- Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve 18yr
- Glenfiddich Gran Reserva (Havana) 21yr
- Glenfiddich 30 yr
- Glenfiddich 40 yr
- Glenfiddich 50 yr
- Glenfiddich 1937
In 1937, cask 843 was filled with spirit from the stills at The Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown. Over its life ten consecutive warehouse masters watched over the cask, After 64 years, in October 2001, Glenfiddich's Malt Master David Stewart declared that cask 843 was finally ready to be bottled. Just 61 bottles were left in the cask.
Other rare or limited whiskies:
- Glenfiddich Toasted Oak Reserve 12yr
- Glenfiddich Rich Oak Reserve 14yr
- Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix (no age)
- Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15yr
- Glenfiddich 1991 Don Ramsey Reserve
- Glenfiddich Malt Master's Edition Sherry Cask
- Glenfiddich Age of Discovery - Madeira Cask Finish 19yr
- Glenfiddich Foundation Reserve
- Glenfiddich Private Vintages
Liqueur
Glenfiddich produces a liqueurLiqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
called simply "Glenfiddich Malt Whisky Liqueur" that is 40% alcohol by volume, and is sold in 50 cl (500 ml) bottles. Glenfiddich Malt Whisky Liqueur is exported to foreign markets, such as the USA, but not widely. It is also not widely available outside of specialist whisky retailers.
Critical acclaim
Glenfiddich's whiskies have performed very well at international Spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions. The 12, 15, 18, and 21-year offerings have all rated well in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Beverage Testing Institutes' reviews. On balance, the 15-year whisky has performed the best, receiving three double-gold medals (in four years) at the 2007-2010 San Francisco competitions and a score of 91 with the Beverage Testing Institute.
Glenfiddich Awards
Since 1970, Glenfiddich has promoted the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards to honour distinguished writing and broadcasting in the fields of food and drink in the UK.Culture
Glenfiddich appears in the Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode Brian & Stewie
Brian & Stewie
"Brian & Stewie" is the seventeenth episode of the eighth season, and 150th overall episode, of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 2010. The episode features anthropomorphic dog Brian and baby Stewie after they are accidentally trapped inside of a...
where Brian had stored a bottle of Scotch, which clearly is labelled much like Glenfiddich, in his safety deposit box.
See also
- WhiskyWhiskyWhisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
- Scotch whiskyScotch whiskyScotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
- List of whisky brands
- List of distilleries in Scotland