Glenfiddich 18 Year Ancient Reserve

With 18 years of aging, the Glenfiddich Distillery 18 Year Ancient Reserve is the second oldest Scotch, and fourth oldest whisk(e)y of any variety I have tried, and it certainly shows its age and maturity in each delightful sip.  As Robin Scherbatsky says, "I love a Scotch that's old enough to order its own Scotch," and this variety is, at least in its place of origin.

I sadly only had a "nip" of this masterpiece; every year there are a few nips of good booze in my stocking at Christmas, and two years ago (I'm seriously not sure how this lasted this long) I got this.  The bottle is just a standard Glenfiddich bottle in miniature, maintaining its distinctive shape, color and label, and is even packaged in a tube just like the rest of the distillery's higher end offerings.

Drinking this is a legitimate pleasure, with just a hint of Scotch's characteristic harshness, and robust peaty flavors make this a model Speyside option.  Slightly sweet, supremely smooth, very lightly smoked, and with nearly two decades of aging, the oak casks have imparted their distinctive flavors and aromas as well.  There is an apple-like quality to the sweetness that was very enjoyable, and I thought a little bit of citrus came through as well, though I could be wrong about that.  Overall, this is among my favorite I have ever had, and if I can find some more for a reasonable price, I'll be happy to work a little overtime in order to get a full bottle of it.

Please note that this is not the same as the standard Glenfiddich 18 Year Single Malt.  I do not know what exactly the differences are, but they are not the same thing, and the bottles and packaging should be enough to tell you which you are buying.

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