Scotch Whisky Review #207: Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams 2012

Distillery: Glenfiddich

Region: Speyside

ABV: 48.8%

Age: NAS

Color: 0.8, Deep Gold.

Nose: (according to the wife) It’s a very, very familiar nose (she notes that it smells like a lot of whiskies I drink, I’d agree it smells like a very generic Speysider). It’s sweet, slightly fruity with a bit of sugar. There’s some orchard fruit and fig.

Palate: It’s fairly light and sweet. There’s a bit of a floral element to it which balances out nicely with the bit of fruity notes. Some malt and honey finish this out.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s a little bit of lemon with a tinge of vanilla.

Conclusion: This Glenfiddich was a special release from 2012. It involved whisky that came from casks that people had (literally) written their hopes and dreams upon. The bottle tube included a few of these aspirations as well. While the marketing campaign surrounding this whisky sounds fantastic, the whisky itself is far from the stuff of dreams. The nose, while pleasant, is perhaps as generic as you can make a whisky. The palate isn’t much different and, while balanced, nothing quite stands out. The finish is more of the same. Not bad but not something I’ll be dreaming of.

Final Score: 75.

Scotch Whisky Review #207, Speyside Review #87, Whisky Network Review #289

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.