Whiskey of the Month #15: Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera Vat

It's back to single malt this year with a double first for Whiskey of the Month:  my first foray to the Valley of the Deer and Glenfiddich and my first 15 year old Single Malt.  Glenfiddich has a rich history that dates back all the way to 1887 and hails from the Speyside region- which contains the largest number of distilleries in Scotland.  (When it comes to Scotch, there's the Lowland region, Highland, Campbelltown, Islay and Speyside- each has their own tradition, flavor and style.)

So why the Solera Vat?  Why not another Glenfiddich?  I'll just go ahead and confess- I kept seeing ads for it in magazine and the descriptions of honey, raisins and plump golden sultanas hooked me in.  It sounded delicious, so when my birthday came along, I went ahead and jumped at the chance to try it for myself.  I wasn't disappointed:

Color:  The color on this seems to be more amber than anything else.  I was teetering toward calling it honey or dark honey but that wasn't quite right either.  Color wise, amber fits and it fits perfectly.

Body:  The predominant note I pick up from this is honey.  The bottle mentions raisins but if there's fruit in here, it's subtle almost too subtle to pick up.  But it is there- but I'd say it's more dried fruits in general rather than just raisins.  Maybe figs or dates as well?  It's hard to tell.   It's got a nice, mild body to it as well.  Sniff this and your nose hairs remain safely intact-  some single malts are so strong all you can smell is the burn, but the fact it is so mild lets you pick up flavors beside alcohol as well.

Palate:  It sits lightly on the tongue, which is nice.  In fact, it might be the nicest thing about this whiskey.   It's not trying to kick you in the face, it's trying to get you to sit back and really enjoy it.   And you know what, given how quickly I've sucked down this bottle, its probably the key to the Solera's success.

Finish: Beautiful.   It goes down smooth and the warming sensation is gradual- it's the perfect finish to an excellent single malt.