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Have you got a question? Is there something in particular you need to know? You may find the answer in our Most Popular Questions, or ask your question to Ludo and Ian directly using the form below.
Most Popular Questions
- Can whisky change once bottled?
- Glenfiddich Distillery Edition
- Glenfiddich Gran Reserva
- Glenfiddich Special Reserve v. Glenfiddich Solera Reserve
- Solera Vat
- Calorie and carbohydrate count
- Barley
- Clans of Scotland
- Is Glenfiddich a Speyside or a Highland Single Malt?
- What is the correct way to pronounce Glenfiddich?
- Private Vintage 1974 ‘La Maison du Whisky’
I agree with the following whisky drinking suggestion “A good whisky does not need any mixture to be appreciated. The only liquid whisky can stand is water. Preferably fresh mineral water. Ideal would be to add the same water that was used during the distilling process. But this is nearly impossible …” I enjoy the addition of my unfiltered well water from my property but would love to try my favorite Glenfiddich 12 year old with the same water used in Dufftown. I will be visiting the distillery in a few weeks, where can I get the same water used in your process? Thanks,
Roy
ihave an approximately 60 year old 12 year grants royal finest scotch whiskey 70 proof. what is this worth,
I have a Highland Still Master’s Crock Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 750 ml 101 proof. Product of Scotland Distilled and Bottled by William Grant & Sons Ltd Banshire,, Scotland could you tell me the value of this bottle, it is unopened. Thank you Tina
Now that I understand the Havana Reserva and Gran Reserva are one in the same, what is the reason for the name change? Is their a vintage known to be smoother than the others? Just had to order a bottle as only 6 bottles are available in stock across the entire Toronto LCBO network..must be great!
What was the timeframe that Glenfiddich 750ml was packaged in the Clans of Highland of Scotland tin presentation boxes. I have a bottle(full unopened) in a Clan Sutherland box and was wondering its age.
Can you tell me why the Glenfiddich bottle is shaped like it is and not round ?
I have a bottle of Glenfiddich Pure Malt Scotch Whisky whose label states “This Pure Malt Whisk is produced by the fourth Generation of an Independent Family Company.” The base of the bottle reads “LIQUOR BOTTLE SCOTLAND 29″. I would like to know more details about my bottle of whisky, if possible. Thank you.
has whiskey got any chemicals in it like wine has thank you
hello,
We have a Glenfiddich without any age statement, at the top of the label wirtten Special Old Reserve, and it comes in a metal chest shaped box. Is there any way to get an age statement for that whiskey, i mean for how much time it has been in the oak barrels before filled into the bottles, becasue again there is no age statement.
Another thing, how in your opinion you wold estimate the price of that bottle in the U.S.A?
Our bottle looks similar to the one in the next link except for the box:
http://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/whiskyshop/collectable/glenfiddich-special-old-reserve-single-malt-whisky-75cl/prod_942.html
thanks alot,
Omri
I have a 75cl pure malt bottle of Glenfiddich with an accompanying certificate of Authenticity. Which states…
that this bottle is number 27 of 1000 of the last 75cl to be made available in united kingdom. they came of the bottling line at the Glenfiddich distillery Dufftown speyside on May 23rd 1991 in the presence of Mr. Sandy Grant Gordon and Mr. RWilson custom & excise officer and Lady Sanderson chairman of the ADRA Equine Research & grass Sickness fund to whom the bottles were donated.
On June the 12th 1991 members of the ADRA staff accepted a commission from his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch Queensberry(Hon president of the Animal Research Association to procure and provide Glenfiddich pure malt whisky for a charity ball to be held in the presence of ADRAs patron HRH the princess Royal
It was a condition of the commission that the Glenfiddich be transported the 165 miles from Dufftown to Edinburgh by horse or on foot this condition was met as was the requirement to avoid the unwelcome attention of the Excisemen
\the Glenfiddich Smugglers trail departed Dufftown on Friday 14th 1991 and headed South via Speyside Glenfeshie, Glen tilt,Blair Atholl,Dunkeld,Pitlochry,Perth, Glenfarg, Kinross North &South Queensferry to arrive at the Royal Highland Show on Saturday June 22nd
After consultation with Christies Scotland the 1000 bottles were made available for purchase at a price of £75 the proceeds from the sale were applied to the search and cause and cure of grass sickness of horses.
This certificate applies only to the appropriately labelled and numbered 75cl bottle of the Glenfiddich, the seal of which must remain unbroken.
in witness of the above
signed
Sandy Grant Gordon
Lady Sanderson(
Peter Arbuthnot (Christies)
The bottle label also tell the story of the smugglers trail and the ADRA charity and the date June 1991
Do you think it could fetch a reasonable price at auction?
I learned through your excellent Explorers website that casks can lose up to 2% of their volume per year through evaporation. Does the evaporation enhance the flavor of the whiskey as it matures? Would there be any benefit if the casks were wrapped or coated to prevent this loss?
Satoshi
As soon as the whisky is filled into the barrels approximately 5% of the liquid is absorbed into the wood, for the first six or seven years the whisky then evaporates through the oak at an approximate rate of 2% per annum, thereafter it starts to slow down, we find that american oak loses a little more than european, probably due to the thickness of the oak. As the whisky matures the influence of wood starts to soften and add to the flavour of the whisky.
If we wrapped the whisky it would prevent evaporation and so maturation.
Best wishes
Ian
Can Scotch Whiskey be refrigerated? This is to prevent dilution from melted ice.
Harvey
You can freeze whisky but clearly because it`s alcohol only the water elemnt of the whisky actually freezes, if youpour a whisky that has sat for some time in the freezer it seems to pour like a syrup, some people in speyside like to freeze the heavily peated whiskies as often they taste a little better, try it and let me know how you get on.
Hello, fellow Glenfiddich lovers! I’m searching for some Glenfiddich Vintages: casks 13430, 3959, 13141, 16034, 16036, 21628, 2433, 2442 and 10888. Can anybody help me? Best regards from the Netherlands, Frank
Frank
Hans Henrik may have the answer to this one, his e-mail address is h-hh@mail.dk
he has the largest collectio of Glenfidich ever and he may also have some of the bottles for sale.
Ian
hi i bought a limited bottle 1991 by don ramsay
for investment for my daughter
any idea if its went up in value from the 20 pounds i paid
Hello Tony, I think the lowest price now is about 45 pounds, so you have already doubled it! Bye, Frank
Tony
You can still buy them but they now cost around the £40 mark, available on the whiskyexchange website run by Sukinder.
Regards
Ian
My father’s friend returned from Scotland in 1976 with a bottle of Glenfiddich single malt with no vintage delineations. Special markings on the bottle/tin: Front bottle label has “Special Old Reserve”; the tin has a Maclean clan paper pamphlet on the inside of the lid; the green, triangle-shaped bottle rests in a green velvet-like cradle; on the bottom of the tin, there is a “COMP. No. 5614. My questions are: 1)besides the obvious years since my father received it (33 years), what vintage might this be?; 2) Could you place a dollar value on it for me? My father passed away in 1989 at the age of 57 and this September I turn 50 years old. I have invited a very small and select group of friends and relatives over to open this bottle up so that we may toast my father as well as myself on my 50th. Any help would be much appreciated. Mike>
Mike
Check out the frequently asked questions section as there is an article on the tins posted by Ludo.
Best wishes
Ian
My father has 3 Glenfiddich crocks, Robert the Bruce, Charles Edward Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots.
They are all boxed and sealed and he would like to know if they are worth anything at all, or just junk collecting in his spare room….?
Those nice people at Whisky Blog pointed me in this direction.
Thanks
Sarah
I`m pretty sure you can get approx £120 for them, worth trying to sell them on Ebay.
Best
Ian
Q: I’m reading Michael Jackson’s “The World Guide To Whisky” published 1987 and have been confused by the following passage describing production at Glenfiddich at the time:
“The whisky is principally aged in plain oak, although about ten percent goes into sherry casks. No Bourbon casks are used, and no caramel colouring”
So what exactly was this “plain oak”? Was it virgin American Oak or something else?
A: Hi, we didn’t start using virgin American oak until 1997, when we launched Glenfiddich Solera Reserve. All our American oak casks would have been ex American whiskey casks (mostly bourbon). The term ‘plain oak’ is kind of vague and I think Michael referred to second or third fill casks (i.e. ex American whiskey (again, mostly bourbon whiskey) or Spanish sherry casks which had also been used at least once before to mature Scotch whisky).
Does this make sense to you?
Ludo
Yes it makes perfect sense, thank you Ludo
Q: G’day Ludo, we have enjoyed Glenfiddich for years now and collected all the Clan tins. Unfortunately our set of four minitures was stolen, two had unopened bottles, the other two we enjoyed. We are at a loss, however, to what the set would be worth? Any suggestions for the insurance company would be gratfully appreciated.
A: Hi, sorry to hear your miniatures were stolen. I would value them in the region of £30. Ludo
Q: I’ve a question about an old bottle of OB Glenfiddich, someone would offer it to me:
A Glenfiddich 21YO, distilled in 1961 and botteled in 1984 (imp. by Zenith).
How can I see it isn’t a fake bottle?
(I ‘ve a picture of the bottle and I ‘ve a picture of the box.)
Thank you for the info
Kind Regards
Koen
A: I know this bottle and can confirm it is not an official Glenfiddich bottling. Ludo
Q: Hi there,
I’m writing a piece on Dathini the SA artist in residence and wanted a press release for 2009 show. cant seem to locate one on the web. Would you oblige by sending it to the above address?
Many thanks
Lucinda
A: Hi, I have passed your details on to our curator who will be in touch with you. Ludo
Q: What is the capacity of cask used by glenfiddich?
A: Our casks vary from 180 litres up to 550 litres.
Q: Greetings Ludo & Ian,
How are you both? Well I hope! I am wondering if Ludo or indeed Ian is due to travel to Melbourne or Sydney(Australia) in the near future?
Cheers!
Troy Egan.
A: Hi Troy, Good to hear from you, it has been a while. I hope you are well. Ian and I currently have no plans to visit Australia. Watch this space though, I do want to go back! Ludo
G’day Ludo, Yes it has been a while, too long! I have been rather busy and I have been spending much time with my new job being a store manager of a wine store(Still love my whisky though).
Maybe I will have to make plans to come to the UK in the near future then…Cheers Ludo! All the best…Troy.
I am hearing a bit of buzz about your new brand ambassador in the States, Heather Greene. Are there upcoming events where we can benefit from her expertise?
Q: Hi how can i find out when a bottle of glenfiddick was produced.I have had this for over 20 years.Can you please help
Regards
Bernard
A: Hi Bernard, we are working on a website which will answer this kind of questions. Please check this site again in a month or so…
Q: How many bottles were produced for the ‘La Maison du Whisky’ Private Vintage?
A: Glenfiddich Private Vintage 1974 was bottled exclusively for ‘La Maison du Whisky’. It is a limited edition of 214 bottles (cask number 10260).
Q: What is the correct way to pronounce Glenfiddich?
A: Glenfiddich is a Gaelic word which means ‘valley of the deer’. The correct way to pronounce the ‘ch’ sound is to say it softly, as in ‘loch’, rather than with the harder ‘ck’ sound that we often hear.
Q: Is Glenfiddich a Speyside or a Highland Single Malt?
A: The Glenfiddich distillery is located in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands, in a small town called Dufftown.
The whisky produced at Glenfiddich qualifies as both a Speyside and a Highland Single Malt – Speyside being a small region within the greater Highland region.
Q: Could you please tell me more about the Clans of Scotland collection?
A: The ‘Clans of the Highlands’ collection was produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Twelve different clans featured in the series.
Clans of the Highlands of Scotland:
- Campbell of Breadalbane (75cl bottle, 2 versions – one said ‘Pure Malt’, the other one ‘Single Malt’)
- Maclean (75cl bottle, 2 versions – one said ‘Pure Malt’, the other one ‘Single Malt’)
- MacDonald of Clanranald (75cl bottle, 2 versions – one said ‘Pure Malt’, the other one ‘Single Malt’)
- MacPherson (75cl bottle)
- Kennedy (75cl bottle)
- Cameron (75cl bottle)
- Sinclair (5cl & 70cl bottles)
- Sutherland (5cl & 70cl bottles)
- Montgomerie (5cl & 70cl bottles)
- Murray (5cl & 70cl bottles)
Clans of the Scottish Highlands:
- The House of Stewart (75cl bottle)
- Drummond (75cl bottle)
Q: How much barley do we use to produce a bottle of Glenfiddich?
A: The amount of barley we use to produce a bottle of Glenfiddich will vary depending on:
- the quality of the barley – the better the quality, the less we need
- the strength at which we bottle Glenfiddich – the stronger the alcohol strength, the more barley we need
- how long we mature Glenfiddich for – the older it is, the more alcohol we lose through evaporation during the long years of maturation
However, as a guideline, 1 tonne of good quality barley should produce 415 litres of New Make Spirit at 100%abv.
The New Make Spirit then needs to be reduced with spring water, and around 2% of the volume of a cask will evaporate during each year of maturation.
Q: In which warehouse is the Solera Vat kept?
A: The famous Solera Vat is kept at The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown in warehouse 8.
Q: How can only 3 years maturation make such a big difference to the taste of Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 12 Year Old compared to Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old?
A: The taste difference between Special Reserve and Solera Reserve is only partly due to the time they were matured for.
Although 3 additional years in a cask will indeed contribute to a slightly different flavour profile, the main reason why Solera is so different is the cask recipe.
Glenfiddich Special Reserve 12 Year Old is only matured in second hand American and European casks. Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old however, is also matured in brand new American oak, adding sweet, spicy, vanilla notes to Glenfiddich as we know it.
Q: What is the difference between Glenfiddich Havana Reserve and Glenfiddich Gran Reserva?
A: Glenfiddich Havana Reserve was first launched in 2002 before being renamed Glenfiddich Gran Reserva in 2004.
Although the name has changed, the whisky inside the bottle hasn’t.
Q: Can whisky change once bottled?
A: Maturation only takes place in oak casks.
Providing your bottle is properly sealed, your whisky will never change.
A 10-year-old Single Malt bottled 40 years ago is not the same as a 50-year-old bottled today.
Q: What is the difference between Glenfiddich 15-year-old Cask Strength and Glenfiddich Distillery Edition?
A: Glenfiddich Distillery Edition is the new name for Glenfiddich 15-year-old Cask Strength.
Although the name has changed, the whisky hasn’t.
Q: How many calories and carbohydrates are there in a standard measure of Scotch Whisky?
A: The calorie content of Scotch Whisky is directly proportionate to the alcohol content.
100ml of Scotch Whisky at 40%abv contain around 220kcal.
However there are no carbohydrates in Scotch Whisky.