One of the first pair of entries in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Series, Project XX started as a whisky created by the distillery’s 20 brand ambassadors – each selected a cask and master blender Brian Kinsman combined them to create the template for this 47%, non-chill-filtered whisky. It’s a mix of sherry casks, bourbon casks and more, with a rich and spicy character.
Tasting Notes by Billy Abbott (TWE)
NOSE: Barley sugar and lardy cake are followed by dry cinnamon and nutmeg notes. Then things get juicy, with pine needles, freshly peeled orange zest, lime jelly and hints of Haribo. Water adds in layers of fruity toffee.
PALATE: Chocolate-covered caramels, black pepper, orange cream and singed orange peel lead things, with milk-chocolate truffles and hazelnuts bringing up the rear. Water reveals the toffee from the nose on the palate as well as adding sweet stewed apples and sharp Granny Smiths.
FINISH: Dry and softly spicy to start, with sweet hints of digestive and shortbread biscuits building with butter and spice.
COMMENT: A weighty and spicy dram with a wide range of well-integrated flavours – an expression of the characters of Glenfiddich’s excellent brand ambassadors.
