Not just old, but rare

I had spent a few days of my summer of 2017 driving around Scotland… well, you know, clicking pictures of the flowing terrain of the Highlands and the Lowlands and inhaling all the fresh air that transforms the heart into one that hums romance all the time… and, of course, talking to people who love their scotch. As we drove around in an appropriately single-malted state of ecstasy we soon enough knew that the Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown, Islay, and Island are the regions of scotch. This world of single malts, by the way, is protected in UK law and this is simply to make sure that a scotch that is made in a particular region gets that label. There are umpteen stories of distilleries using water from specific sources and it could be a well or a particular zone of a river. ‘This makes all the difference really,’ said one wise old man in Speyside.

Scotland… the fresh air that transforms the heart into one that hums romance all the time…

Of all the words, Speyside remained firmly embedded in my memory and a few days back I was pleasantly transported in spirit to the region that I had fallen in love with. I was at the Glenfiddich Project XX (pronounced ‘twenty’) and Glenfiddich IPA series launch in India and happened to ask Glenfiddich’s Global Brand Ambassador, Struan Grant Ralph, ‘You’re already the leaders. Any reason for launching these two?’

Glenfiddich_I am obviously fascinated by these new variants

Struan Grant Ralph replied with a smile, ‘At Gelnfiddich we love to inspire unusual and unexpected variants.’ And from there rolled the story of Glenfiddich Project XX being the forerunner of a collaboration between 20 whisky experts and Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, Brian Kinsman. Twenty whisky experts from 16 countries and 20 very special single malts selected carefully from a warehouse at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown were then skillfully brought together by Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman to produce the final variant to reflect their individual tastes and interests. Once married together in a small batch vatting, the final liquid was exceptional – and a special tribute to each individual cask the malts came from. Let me also add here that the 20-strong collection of some of the most unusual whiskies came from Glenfiddich’s unrivalled stocks, amassed and carefully nurtured throughout the brand’s 130-year history. These included aged malts matured in port pipes to ancient sherry butts and first fill bourbon casks so it isn’t surprising that the outcome was one unexpected, extraordinary whisky. Glenfiddich’s Global Brand Ambassador, Struan Grant Ralph added that ‘taking part in the creative process of selecting the 20 casks that evolved into Glenfiddich Project XX & IPA Experiment was incredible. Brian has produced a one-of-a-kind Series which is unmistakably Glenfiddich in style, but with the complexity and depth imparted by 20 different barrels of varying size, shape, wood type and origin.’

We talked as we slowly sipped some rather special cocktails that included Glenfiddich Dufftown Sour that had a 15YO whispering in fresh ginger syrup pepped with fresh lime juice and hobnobbing with egg white, lime and orange peel. Of course, we were fascinated by the other options there and I loved my Glenfiddich Apple Twist that was a 15YO animatedly waltzing with fresh apple juice, cinnamon cordial and fresh red apple slices. The climax was undoubtedly the Glenfiddich 18 Old Fashioned that had an 18YO surprising the palate with a generous dose of caramel cordial with sensual overtures orchestrated by chocolate bitters. When you are in the company of such unusual and unexpected taste promoters you have no alternative but to talk about what goes well with these Speyside geniuses.

Glenfiddich_one is never enough

‘Cheese,’ said one.

‘I’d love to pair this with dark chocolate,’ said another.

‘Something tangy for me,’ said a friend, ‘let’s say, tarts.’

Well, each of us feels something or the other rhymes well… but what I felt was as if I were in the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland. The Balvenie distillery, a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, owned by William Grant & Sons had already won my heart, and not just my palate.

I suddenly remembered my days spent in Scotland and the way one of the connoisseurs there had said, ‘A splash of water makes the aromas come alive. You can add a couple of ice cubes if you wish to as it may just open up the flavours of scotch.’ So I asked Ralph if drinking neat would make one drunk faster and he replied, ‘It is all a matter of an individual’s capacity, of course. Though a dram a day is what can keep one healthy.’ I later read somewhere that 120 ml of alcohol will not really make a person drunk and even 240 ml of a single malt results in a mild state of pleasure.

For those who are reading this post, let me add that scotch is whisky spelled without the word ‘e’ and is usually made from malted barley and aged in oak casks for three or more years. Glenfiddich whisky does have a taste that lingers long after the final drop has gone in. It was at this stage that Specky, my wife, asked, ‘One thing that foxes me is why some of these cost more than others.’

‘Ah!’ I said, ‘you must know that while the whisky is in barrels, the wood is performing an important task. It breaks down rougher flavours that makes it smoother and in the process a lot of what a distillery starts with isn’t finally bottled. So yes, it does matter how old a whisky is and this is what governs price.’ James Pennefather from Glenfiddich overheard my reply and added, ‘The idea behind the Glenfiddich Experimental series was quite unusual but one we were passionate about – we wanted to really play with the flavours to see what we could create. The Experimental Series builds on Glenfiddich’s long tradition of innovation and takes us to new levels of experimentation in a way no distillery has ever done before.’ I nodded in agreement and simply murmured, ‘The entire experience tells me that the charm of these new variants isn’t just about ageing but what being rare really means.’

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Glenfiddich_The Experimental Series

Glenfiddich_James Pennefather and Struan Grant Ralph

Speyside remained firmly embedded in my memory

Rushing towards Speyside

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Arvind Passey
06 March 2018