🥃 Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
Flagship 12-year-old single malt Scotch from Glenfiddich in Dufftown; 40% ABV; the age statement returned to the label in 2000.
Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is the flagship single malt of the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Speyside. According to Difford's Guide, it is the brand's “signature malt”; its strength is 40% ABV and its age on the label is 12 years. This expression is usually listed first in the range and serves as the reference point for the others.
The history of the label is interesting. According to the same source, the age figure was dropped in the early 1980s, when the whisky was sold as Special Reserve with a minimum age of eight years. The 12-year statement returned in 2000. According to Whiskypedia, the light character of the spirit is most evident here, and the brand's whiskies are married in large marrying tuns or solera vats.
Why this matters to you. The 12-year-old is the lightest and simplest expression in the range, so it is a convenient place to start with the brand. Older versions such as the 15 Solera or the 18 have more sherry cask character and a different style, so compare them by name, not only by age. The number on the label is the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | Glenfiddich distillery: 1886/1887, Dufftown (William Grant); the 12-year-old returned to the label in 2000 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (Single Malt Scotch Whisky) |
| Raw material | malted barley |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak by law; this expression is 12 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Glenfiddich 12 Year Old → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Glenfiddich, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera, 🥃 Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Small Batch Reserve, 🥃 Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva, 🥃 Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year Old, 🥃 Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera, 🥃 Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Small Batch Reserve, 🥃 Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva, 🥃 Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year Old, 🥃 The Balvenie, 🥃 The Macallan, 🥃 The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old, 🥃 The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Glenfiddich has always had 12 years on the label?
No. According to Difford's Guide, the age was removed from the label in the early 1980s (the whisky was then sold as Special Reserve with a minimum of eight years), and in 2000 the “twelve years minimum” statement returned.
What is the strength of Glenfiddich 12?
40% ABV, according to Difford's Guide.
What are marrying tuns?
Large vats where whiskies from different casks are blended before bottling. According to Whiskypedia, the brand's whisky is married this way, in marrying tuns or solera vats.
What to read next
- 🥃 Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera — 15-year-old single malt Scotch from Glenfiddich, blended in a solera vat; 40% ABV; the brand first used the solera technique for this expression.
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 The Balvenie — A distillery and single malt whisky brand in Dufftown (Speyside), 1892; its own floor maltings; Double Wood since 1993; owned by William Grant & Sons.
Similar
🥃 Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Small Batch Reserve · 🥃 Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera · 🥃 Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year Old · 🥃 Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Gran Reserva · 🥃 The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old · 🥃 The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Glenfiddich 12 Years Old (40 %; flagship, "our signature malt"; age statement dropped early 1980s from Special Reserve, returned 2000)
- Difford's Guide: Glenfiddich Distillery (Dufftown, first spirit Christmas Day 1887, William Grant & Sons, range overview)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): Glenfiddich (marrying tuns and solera vats; ex-sherry casks in growing share with age; solera pioneered for the 15 year old)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)