Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera

The size and shape of Glenfiddich’s stills hasn’t changed since it was founded in 1887 – being the world’s best-selling single malt over 130 years later, they must be doing something right! The stills are small and direct-fired, which generally makes for a heavy style, though Glenfiddich’s early cut point means that its new make is full of bright, estery fruit like pears and apples.

This 15 Year Old utilises the solera method of ageing, more commonly seen in sherry production. Whiskies at least 15 years old are married in a large vat, which is never more than half emptied when a batch is bottled before being topped up with new stock – so though the minimum age is never less than 15 years, proportions of the liquid will be a lot older. Initially matured in American bourbon, Portuguese sherry, and virgin oak before the solera process, there’s lots of spice and nuttiness in its flavour profile.