Let the great experiment... Continue! Glenfiddich has added a new expression to its Experimental Series, unveiling Fire & Cane in mid-2018. Malt master Brian Kinsman has given some of the distillery's peated single malt a three-month finishing period in rum casks - but not just any old rum casks. He's selected rum casks from a variety of South American countries to finish this whisky, which ought to play nicely with the burly peat notes at its core.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Billowing soft peat notes, like distant smoke on the wind. Rich sweet toffee with zesty fresh fruit notes and spiciness.
Palate: Like a Highland peat campfire, with oak notes and toffee. Sharp green fruit, sweet baked apple and soft smoke.
Finish: Lingering smokiness and sweetness.
Review 120 13th April 2021
Continuing with Speyside Month for April, we are reviewing a sample kindly supplied by Lee of Budget Drams, you can checkout his socials using the links below:
http://linktr.ee/budgetdrams
http://budgetdrams.thewhisky.tube
The sample Lee sent was Glenfiddich Fire and Cane Experimental Series No 4.
Bottled at 43%, is chill filtered and colour adjusted. It is also a non age statement whisky. It gets it name from two components of its distillation and maturation. The first, 'Fire' begins back in 2003 when Glenfiddich's Master Distiller Brian Kinsman set about creating the first peated spirit at the distillery. So Fire refers to that fact that some of the spirit has been peated, it has also been blended with the distilleries unpeated spirit. The 'Cane' refers to the Latin Rum finish that the whisky has undergone. The spirit was originally matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Online it is available from; (Also available in other online stores)
Master of Malt £38.94
The Whisky Exchange £38.95 (Discounted Price)
House of Malt £39.50
It also appears on select supermarket shelves such as Sainsbury.
It has an average price of £39.13, helping it to achieve a value score of 80.22 out of 100.
On the Nose it starts with a sugary sweetness and a lovely smoky sweet peat. The smoke is more pleasant than the Allt-A-Bhainne and sweeter than the Benromach 10 we reviewed recently. There is toffee, citrus and vanilla, all tied together with a smoke ribbon.
On the palate, again the sugar sweetness is the first thing you notice followed by citrus fruit of lemon, lime and grapefruit. There is a vanilla toffee. The peat and smoke is obvious almost immeadiately, it isn't as intense as an typical Islay, but it is present enough to be off putting to anyone who hasn't quite adjusted to peat or smoke. At the midpoint of the tasting, spices start to appear and work well with the smoke which is like the ash billowing up from burning wood and paper.
The rum finish isn't immeadiately or noticable, however, maybe some of the grapefruit notes are from the rum finish. On the finish there is some form of polish or household cleaner, its not unpleasant, but unexpected as it suddenly shows up.
This whisky is quite far removed, in our opinion, from the standard Glenfiddich character with Apple and Pears. So if you want to try a different Glenfiddich expression but also enjoy smoke and a sweeter whisky, this may be for you.
However, for what it is, its competent enough, but the price is a little high compared to the other two similar whiskies we reviewed, we would only consider this if it had a decent price drop.
For an overall score we rate it 84 out of 100.