Glenfiddich - 15 Year Old Distillery Edition.

Making every year count is a great philosophy for making the most of all the possibilities life has to offer us, and at William Grant, the makers of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky, it is the foundation which underpins everything they do.

Time spent in the barrel is what gives all of their whiskies, from their 12 Year Old right up to our famous 1937 Vintage, their own unique characteristics. The subtle oak and fresh pear of Glenfiddich 12 Year Old and the enormous complexities of their older whiskies are all the result of time well spent. And the perfect reward for a life well lived.

A higher-strength Glenfiddich aged 15 years, this Distillery Edition has been bottled at 51%.

Nose: banana skins, but there is no slip up here as the aroma spectrum moves from ultra fat sultanas on one side to dried coconut on the other. You'll find countless other reference points, including lightly salted celery and even molten candle wax. Quite astonishing and, even with its spice nip, one of the great whisky noses of 2010;

Taste: my word!! Just so lively...enormous complexity from the very first mouthful. The mouthfeel is two-toned with heavier fruit not quite outstripping the flightier barley. All kinds of vanilla - both dry and sweet - and a dusty spiciness, too;

Finish: tones down rather too dramatically, hedging much more towards the more docile banana-vanilla elements;

Balance: had this exceptional whisky been able to maintain the pace through to the finish, this would have been a single malt of the year contender - at least.

93.5 Points - Jim Murray's 2012 Whisky Bible.