Glenfiddich: All About the Distillery and Its Iconic Bottles

Introduction / History / Facts

In Dufftown, the centre of Scotland's Speyside, close to the Balvenie Distillery, is the world-famous and prestigious Glenfiddich Distillery from the very same company, William Grant & Sons. With the dream of producing the ‘best dram in the valley’, founder Wiliam Grant built the distillery in the summer of 1886 and named it Glenfiddich, which is ‘Gleann Fhiodhaich’ in Scottish Gaelic and means ‘Valley of the Deer’.

At Christmas 1887, distillation took place for the first time on the former copper stills from the Cardhu distillery. In the late 1920s, many distilleries had to close due to Prohibition and changes in the law. At that time, Glenfiddich was one of six distilleries still in operation in Scotland. It is one of the few distilleries that have remained completely family-owned to this day. In 1957 the site was extended to include its own coppersmithy and in 1959 its own cooperage. Due to the strong demand for Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky, 16 new stills were added to the production halls in 1974.

In 1998, the extraordinary Solera Vat was installed, which found its way into the production halls inspired by Spanish sherry bodegas.

It is no coincidence that it is nicknamed ‘The Giant’. With an annual production capacity of around 21 million litres, an in-house bottling plant and over 45 warehouses, the Glenfiddich distillery is truly a giant.

But what about Glenfiddich whisky?

The distillery focuses on a core range consisting of the 12-year-old ‘Original Twelve’, a 15-year-old ‘Our Solera Fifteen’ and an 18-year-old ‘Our Small Batch Eighteen’. The UK market also includes a 14-year-old ‘Our Bourbon Barrel Reserve’. The distillery also creates collections. The Grand Series, which focuses on the marriage of two worlds through exciting finishes, the Experimental Series, which is all about exploring boundaries with experiments in barley malt, cask maturation and blending, and finally the Time Reimagined Collection. With a** 30-year-old, 40-year-old and 50-year-old bottling** in a timelessly elegant style, these are intended to represent the different facets of life that should outlast.

Classics vs. New Releases

Last but not least, I would like to introduce the Core Range, which has been around for so many years and has proven itself over time. And then some ‘news’ from the distillery.

12 Years Old “Our Original Twelve”: 40% Vol.

This single malt Scotch whisky was matured for 12 years, partly in former Spanish Oloroso sherry casks and partly in American bourbon casks. They were then transferred to large marrying tuns. After a certain amount of time, the flavours have come together in perfect balance.

15 Years Old “Our Solera Fifteen”: 40% Vol.

This whisky has matured for 15 years in Ex-Bourbon barrels, New/Virgin Oak Casks and Spanish Sherry casks. After long maturation in the respective casks, the whiskies from these casks are blended. The special thing about the ‘Solera Fifteen’ is the vatting in the solera process. Inspired by the Spanish sherry bodegas, where solera vatting is used, this whisky is the only one from the distillery to be produced using this special technique. The Solera vat was never emptied. It is always refilled in equal parts to ensure a constant flavour in production.

18 Years Old “Our Small Batch Eighteen”: 40% Vol.

The 18 year old Glenfiddich whiskies are a small batch range. 150 casks are selected from the warehouse, Oloroso sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels, which are then blended and bottled as a small batch. This whisky comes at 40% Vol., chill-filtered and with added colour.

29 Years Old Grand Yozakura: 45,1% Vol.

This limited-edition whisky was released in March 2023, but is still one of the distillery’s new releases and very interesting. It is finished in rare Japanese ex-Awamori casks and this is said to be the first and so far only single malt whisky with such a finish. It celebrates the Japanese cherry blossom festival, called Hanami, and offers a fusion of Scottish and Japanese flavors.

31 Years Old Grand Château: 47,6% Vol.

Glenfiddich has recently by the End of August 2024, expanded its distinguished Grand Series with the introduction of the Grand Château 31 Year Old. This limited-edition single malt Scotch whisky is notable for being the first from Glenfiddich to be finished in red wine casks from France's Bordeaux region. Initially matured in American oak, it undergoes an additional nine-year finishing period in these Bordeaux casks, resulting in a unique flavor profile that combines fruity and floral notes with a warming spice.