Glenfiddich 12 Year Special Reserve

Six years ago I had a very unfortunate start to my whisky journey when a neighbour gave me a bottle of scotch for Christmas. It was Glenfiddich 12 year old Special Reserve. I'll bet you're wondering why this is unfortunate.

When I tried it, I wasn't sure what to expect. On the nose I got a quick punch of pears. The pears were huge. There was also a bit of wood, and it reminded me slightly of wine. It was amazing, and I was expecting something fantastic.

The taste, sadly, didn't quite match. It started off nicely with a warm pear-like sweetness, then went a bit sour. Yup, it was starting its decent.

The finish could've been the salvation, but instead the Glenfiddich crashed and burned. The finish was so vile I had a hard time believing, or understanding how, the flavour could've changed so drastically. Basically, it tasted like sour beer. And I hate beer. So this was sort of a double-whammy, and my poor tongue was the punching bag.

Based on this experience I stupidly thought, "I must hate all scotch. I'm never drinking scotch again!"

Years passed, and during that time I stuck to bourbon. Whenever I was offered a scotch, I always turned it down. When I finally caved and tried another scotch, I was so shocked that I went out and bought my own bottle, essentially hitting "reset."

I've since read that Glenfiddich wasn't happy with the Special Reserve and has changed the flavour profile noticeably. People who claim they hated it now admit that they like it. Even still, I am reluctant to try it again. After all, I have that Glenfiddich 12 y.o. Special Reserve to thank for five wasted years!

Special Reserve is like buying a DeLorean that looks great. The fascia isn't warped and the dash isn't cracked... but once you drive it away you realize the frame has rotted from the inside out. Disaster!

Xmas gift
375ml
40% (80 proof)

www.Glenfiddich.com