Glenfiddich Ultimate is a 38-year-old Speyside single malt bottled in 2013 for the Chinese market, in a crystal decanter trimmed with 24-carat gold. It was released in small numbered runs of around 600 bottles, and it turns up only occasionally today.
About This Whisky
Ultimate was launched in Xiamen in April 2013, with the age chosen because 3 and 8 are lucky numbers in Chinese culture. It was assembled from whisky matured in American oak barrels and European oak butts, then married and rested for a further two months in the distillery's Warehouse No. 8 before bottling. It is bottled at 40% ABV. Auction records show several numbered releases, each limited to about 600 decanters, with a crystal stopper and a presentation box. This bottle is the 700mL format.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Baked pear, honey and orange blossom first, then waxed wood, sultana and a thread of sherry-cask spice.
- Palate: Soft and rounded at 40%, with poached apple, vanilla fudge, dried apricot and cinnamon over polished oak.
- Finish: Drying slowly, with toasted nuts, a little cocoa and fading fruit.
Serving & Food
Serve at cellar temperature in a tulip glass and leave the ice aside; at this age and strength the whisky needs air more than water. Pour small measures and let the glass sit for a while between sips. Good with roast chestnuts, aged Comté or almond cake.
How to Enjoy
Collectors of Glenfiddich decanters and anyone marking a major anniversary with a very old Speyside malt.
Product Details
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Expression: Ultimate
Age: 38 years old
Region: Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland
Category: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky
Cask: American oak barrels and European oak butts
Bottled: 2013, for the Chinese market
ABV: 40% ABV
Volume: 700mL
Origin: Scotland
About the Distillery
William Grant began building Glenfiddich by hand with his family in Dufftown in 1886 and ran the first spirit from its stills on Christmas Day 1887. The distillery is still held by his descendants through William Grant & Sons, which remains family controlled. From 1963 the family took the then unusual step of selling its malt abroad as a single malt in its own right, and Glenfiddich has been a familiar name in bars around the world ever since.
The house style is light and fruity, shaped by small copper stills, water from the Robbie Dhu spring and a large on-site cooperage. That fresh, pear-led spirit is what gives very old Glenfiddich its orchard-fruit lift even after decades in wood.