🥃 Glenfiddich
Single malt Scotch from Dufftown in Speyside, founded by William Grant in 1886 and still owned by the family firm William Grant & Sons. The flagship 12-year-old is 40% ABV, matured in American and European oak.
Glenfiddich is a single malt Scotch whisky from Dufftown in Speyside, and the most easily available example of the Speyside style. It is both a distillery and a brand. It was founded by William Grant in 1886, and the first spirit ran at Christmas 1887. Glenfiddich is now owned by the family company William Grant & Sons; the flagship is the 12-year-old at 40% ABV.
To begin with, Grant bought second-hand equipment from the Cardhu distillery. The name comes from the Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich, meaning "valley of the deer", which is why a stag appears on the label. The production water comes from the Robbie Dhu spring. Since the 1950s the distillery has had its own coppersmiths and cooperage. In 1963 the brand began promoting single malt for export.
For the 12-year-old the producer names American and European oak: bourbon and sherry casks. The whisky is then transferred to large marrying tuns, where different casks are brought together. For the 15 Solera, sherry, bourbon and new casks are used, and the solera vat is never emptied completely: part is always left and topped up. There are also the 18 and 21 Gran Reserva, finished in Caribbean rum casks.
The triangular Glenfiddich bottle was created by the designer Hans Schlegel; sources give its exact year differently (1956, 1957 or 1961), so we do not state it.
Why this matters to you. The range holds drinks of quite different character: the 12-year-old differs from the 15 Solera and from the rum-cask finished versions. Look at the strength and age on the label; the age refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. If you are buying a gift, check the full name, as there are many similar variants. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1886, William Grant (Dufftown, Moray); first spirit at Christmas 1887 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (Single Malt) |
| Raw material | barley malt; water from the Robbie Dhu spring |
| Cask type | American and European oak, bourbon and sherry casks; for the 15 Solera also new casks |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak by law; the flagship is 12 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV (12-year-old) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Glenfiddich → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 William Grant & Sons
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🐝 American white oak
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What is made from it
- 🥃 Monkey Shoulder, 🥃 Monkey Shoulder Smokey Monkey, 🥃 Monkey Shoulder The Original
- What it contains
- 🧪 Water, 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Glenmorangie, 🥃 The Macallan, 🥃 The Macallan, 🥃 The Balvenie, 🥃 The Glenlivet, 🥃 The Glenlivet, 🥃 The Balvenie, 🥃 Aberfeldy, 🥃 Cardhu, 🥃 Glengoyne
and 33 more
🥃 Glenkinchie, 🥃 Loch Lomond Distillery, 🥃 Glen Grant, 🥃 The Dalmore, 🥃 Strathisla, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Yamazaki, 🥃 Aberlour, 🥃 Clynelish, 🥃 Glenfarclas, 🥃 The GlenDronach, 🥃 Mortlach, 🥃 The Glenrothes, 🥃 BenRiach, 🥃 The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, 🥃 The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old, 🥃 The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old, 🥃 The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old, 🥃 The Glenlivet 12 Year Old, 🥃 The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve, 🥃 The Glenlivet 18 Year Old, 🥃 The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve, 🥃 The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso, 🥃 Ardbeg, 🥃 Ardbeg, 🥃 Tomatin, 🥃 Tomatin, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood 12, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood 8, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood, 🥃 Dufftown Distillery, 🥃 Benromach, 🥃 Hakushu
Frequently asked questions
How do I read the age and strength on a UK or US bottle?
The age is that of the youngest whisky in the bottle. A US bottle also shows proof beside the ABV, and proof is twice the ABV figure.
Why is there a stag on the label?
The name comes from the Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich, valley of the deer, so the stag is the brand's emblem.
Who designed the triangular bottle?
The designer Hans Schlegel. Sources give 1956, 1957 or 1961 for the year, so no year is stated.
Who owns Glenfiddich?
The family company William Grant & Sons, which founded the distillery in 1886.
How is the 12 Year Old matured, and what is its ABV?
In American and European oak, bourbon and sherry casks, then in marrying tuns. It is 40% ABV.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🧑🤝🧑 British — People of Great Britain; their protected West Country Cheddar matures for at least 9 months, and tea is drunk with milk.
Similar
🥃 The Balvenie · 🥃 The Glenlivet · 🥃 The Macallan · 🥃 Grant's · 🥃 Glen Moray · 🥃 Monkey Shoulder
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
What it includes
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), regs. 3, 8, 10, 12 (Single Malt, Islay, age statements)
- Glenfiddich: офіційний сайт (12 років: американський і європейський дуб, marrying tuns; 15 Solera)
- Difford's Guide: Glenfiddich (1887 first spirit; second-hand equipment from Cardhu; 1963 export of single malt)
- Waitrose: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old (40 %; casks; marrying tuns)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)