Glenfiddich Project XX Whisky

During the beginning of 2018, I tasted the Glenfiddich IPA Cask whisky and wrote my own tasting notes about it. This release was the first in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Series and I loved it. The second release in this series is the Glenfiddich Project XX single malt Scotch whisky and many people had opinions about this release.

Glenfiddich XX started as a project shrouded in secrecy. Malt Master Brian Kinsman invited 20 Glenfiddich brand ambassadors from 16 countries around the world to the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland. No one knew what they were about to do. Each person was given free rein to explore the warehouse and select any cask that intrigued them.

The 20 chosen casks were then married together by Brian Kinsman, the Glenfiddich Malt Master. The final 20 selected malts, matured in everything from aged malts matured in port pipes to old sherry butts and virgin oak bourbon casks.

I got a lot of feedback on the blog post and the tweets, so I ran a poll in Instagram asking people which of these two releases are their favourite.

It was clear that the  Glenfiddich Experimental Series Project XX whisky was considerably more popular, so I had to add this to my tasting list and capture the tasting notes.

Also Read: The Balvenie Single Barrel whisky

The XX stands for 20, representing the 20 ambassadors that took part and the thumbprint on the bottle is an amalgamation of the twenty ambassadors’ thumbprints.

Interestingly, both Glenfiddich Experimental series IPA and Glenfiddich Project XX single malt will be permanent additions to the Glenfiddich range; they are not limited editions. Both the IPA and XX is non-chill-filtered and bottled at an unusual 47% ABV.

Glenfiddich Experimental Series Project XX Whisky Review

ABV: 47%

COLOUR: Amber

NOSE: Ripe Golden Delicious apples, dark stone fruits and spice with hints of fresh flowers. Some vanilla and oak are  floating about. Not the most complex nose.

PALATE: Fruity sweetness and spice. Hints of dried citrus, dry grass and wood dust. Bits of cinnamon and vanilla. Adding water softens the citrus and the spice somewhat.

FINISH: Oak and dry lemon peel.

RATING: GOOD

I find this a confusion dram. It is as if it is trying to be too many things. It is an unusual concept and makes for great publicity and an interesting story. The bottle is beautiful and classic. However, the spirit in the bottle is trying to be too many things all at once.

For me, it is a riot of unbalanced flavours. I found it stuffy and dusty with very few of the beautiful sweet fruit notes that Glenfiddich is known for.

Probably not the most popular opinion, but I prefer the Glenfiddich IPA cask miles above this Glenfiddich Project XX release. I bought the two bottles at the same time, and my IPA bottle is nearly empty. This one might take a few years.

Also Read: Glenfiddich 18 yo whisky