Some master what others can't see. Glenfiddich's Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, returns for a second release in the Aston Martin Formula One™ Team partnership — a whisky built the way a race-winning car is built: through relentless refinement, layer by layer.
This 16 Year Old expression is a marriage of whiskies matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and fine wine and fortified wine casks, then finished in sequence across four further cask types — Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks, and a final, delicate rest in Fino Sherry butts. Where last year's Release No. 1 was shaped by American oak wine casks and second-fill bourbon, this new edition adds a fourth layer of cask influence — deeper, richer, and more complex still.
On the nose, rich stewed fruits unfold alongside marzipan and polished leather. On the palate, mellow toffee sweetness meets caramelised cane sugar, balanced by dry oak tannin. The finish is long, oaky, and quietly assured.
Bottled at 43% ABV, this is Glenfiddich at its most awarded — with more accolades since 2000 than any other single malt Scotch whisky across the IWSC and ISC, two of the industry's most prestigious competitions.
Tasting Note by Glenfiddich:Nose: Rich stewed fruits with a beautiful array of floral top notes. Hints of marzipan and polished leather. A drop of water accentuates the fresh, ripe fruits.Palate: Mellow and silky smooth with a creamy buttery toffee sweetness. Caramelized cane sugar with a lovely counterbalance of dry oak tannin.Finish: Long lasting oaky sweetness
Every grain of malt in this whisky was turned by hand on The Balvenie's own malting floor.
The distillery has worked that floor since 1931, but it normally supplies only part of the barley Balvenie uses. For this limited edition Twelve Year Old, it supplied all of it. Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie built the whisky around that malt, so the character of the barley sits at the centre of the flavour.
The spirit matured for many years in American oak, which brings vanilla and gentle spice. It was then finished in ex-sherry bodega European oak butts from Jerez for added depth. It is bottled at 47.5%, a stronger bottling that holds on to more of the spirit's character. Try it neat first, then add a drop of water.
It comes in packaging designed by contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, in textured copper and verdigris tones inspired by The Balvenie's aged stills.
Tasting Note by Balvenie:Nose: Warm biscuit, honeyed creamy toffee, delicate ginger and aromatic oak.Palate: Mellow barley sugar sweetness, warming into crystallised ginger, delicate raisin and spice.Finish: Rich, velvety and smooth, with a lingering spiced warmth.
