Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of.... ah sorry another article, not an episode... after all this is not a TV series. Today I will review two Glenfiddich whiskies from their VAT collection. The VAT 03 which is 15 years old and is bottled at 50.2% and the VAT 04 which is 18 years old and is bottled at 47.8%. How uncommon that a Glenfiddich is bottled over 40-43% is it not? Thank you so much for the sample my friend @hun_whiskyhunter ! Please make sure to check out his Instagram for amazing photos of whiskies and more. Let me thank you again for letting me use your pictures of the two bottles. The only "bad thing" about sample tasting is that I cannot take photos of the bottles since I do not have them. Now, let's see what these whiskies can do.

About the distillery

Glenfiddich distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. It is owned by William Grant & Sons. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich meaning "valley of the deer", which is reflected in Glenfiddich's stag logo.

Glenfiddich is very special in the scope of Scottish distilleries as it is still managed today by its founders, William Grant & Sons. The distillery was founded between 1886-87 by William Grant, who also founded Balvenie and Mortlach. The Glenfiddich single malt whisky first ran from the stills on Christmas Day, 1887. 

In 1892, William Grant took a break from managing Glenfiddich to found the nearby Balvenie distillery, which is still in the possession of Wm. Grant & Sons. With the turn of the new century, William Grant formalized the status of Glenfiddich as a family business by creating William Grant & Sons, the official name for the family company.

As the twentieth century progressed, Glenfiddich proved its business tenacity on several occasions: it's innovative tactics setting it apart from its peers. In 1923, while prohibition was at its peak, William's grandson Grant Gordon joined the family firm and surprised everyone by increasing the level of production at the distillery. When Prohibition was repealed, Glenfiddich was one of only six Scottish distilleries still operating, and thanks to Gordon's savvy business move, the distillery was ready to meet a new surge in demand for fine, aged single malt. Glenfiddich profited greatly thanks to this smart gamble.

In 1961, Glenfiddich's distinctive three-sided bottle was introduced. The design was created by Hans Schleger and has since become iconic. This move has been acclaimed as a great marketing technique, quite literally setting Glenfiddich apart from the other bottles on the shelf.

The end of the twentieth century continued successfully, with Glenfiddich continuing to expand its range of Single Malts, including adding several collectors' editions. In 1998, the malt master at the distillery invented the Solera Vat, which is used in the marrying process of the Glenfiddich 15-year-old. The process creates constant flavours over the batches, which have been critically acclaimed.

Later, W. Grant & Sons was one of the first distilleries to package its bottles in tubes and gift tins, as well as recognising the importance of the duty-free market for spirits. This marketing strategy was successful, and Glenfiddich has since become the world's best-selling single malt.

Glenfiddich is currently managed by the fifth generation of William Grant's descendants.

As you would expect for such an incredible production capacity, the distillery has 42 stills since the construction of a new stillhouse in 2019. These include 14 pear-shaped wash stills with a capacity of 9,000 litres and 28 spirit stills with a capacity of 4,500 litres.

Glenfiddich is proud of another rather unusual aspect: it has its own bottling plant. Distilleries very rarely have their own bottling plant, which makes the distillery all the more exceptional.
Glenfiddich matures all of its Single Malt Whisky in an enormous complex of over 40 warehouses, which have a capacity of up to 1.3 million casks. The casks are stored in Dunnage Warehouses and Palettised Warehouses, which are necessary due to the large number of casks.

Glenfiddich VAT 03 - Natural Color(?), Non-chill filtered, 50.2%

"Elevated over 15 years of maturation in American and Virgin American oak, and European Sherry casks, VAT 03 distinctly embodies the Glenfiddich pioneering spirit.
This silky-smooth full-bodied whisky harmoniously combines warm notes of spice with hints of nutty marzipan and dark sherry oak.
A satisfyingly rich and sweet Glenfiddich for connoisseurs.
Exclusively available in Global Travel Retail."

Nose: Quite nice and full already. The alcohol is very well hidden. Heather honey coming to the front with sweet malt and sugars. Dried fruits such as figs and raisins. Lemon & orange peel. Dark chocolate and espresso. Very sweet.

Taste: Ok... hefty, full. Oily. Alcohol does not stand out. The leading note here is heather honey with milk chocolate. Sugary malt, toasted oak and dark fruits. Lemon peel and espresso. Black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. Spicy and sweet. The taste is actually better than the nose.

Finish: Long and rich. Firstly it is quite fruity and sweet but it gets drier, spicy and woody by the end. Lovely finish. 

Overall I think this is a lovely whisky. So much better than the regular 15 year old! This one should be in the core range instead of the other one. I rate this a very solid 85 / 100. Buy it, try it. Drink responsibly.

Glenfiddich VAT 04 - Natural Color(?), Non-chill filtered, 47.8%

"Patiently aged in Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks for 18 years, our most distinguished Solera whisky is married and continuously transformed in Solera VAT 4 to deliver a deep, rich aroma of robust oak, ripe orchard fruit and baked apple.
A luxuriously fruity and exceptionally rewarding Glenfiddich.
Exclusively available in Global Travel Retail."

Nose: Quite different to the VAT 03. Orchard fruits such as apples, pears and juicy pears. Apple pie with vanilla sauce. Honey and malted barley. Sugar cubes. A hint of oak. Vanilla, yeast and dark fruits such as raisins. This is light and complex.

Taste: Caramel, apples and sugar cubes. Apple pie with vanilla sauce. Cinnamon and cardamom. Quite light compared to the VAT 03. Black pepper and espresso. Toasted oak. Very malty. Lots of honey and sweetness. Sweet & fruity.

Finish: Long, very fruity but it also gets dried. Black pepper, mint and espresso. Dark sherry fruits and cocoa with dark chocolate. Great.

Overall this is a great expression again. I can't say that I liked this one more than the VAT 03. Perhaps I liked them the same way. I award this whisky also a very solid 85 / 100. This could also replace the original 18 year old in the core range. Buy it, try it. Drink responsibly.

Some pictures in this article are not owned by me, I tagged their owner and I attached a link of their site. All other pictures that have my logo on them are TAKEN AND OWNED BY ME.

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Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head over HERE.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.