GLENFIDDICH UNVEILS 1978 VINTAGE RESERVE

– – – Pioneering process sees whisky selected via Twitter – – –

Dufftown, 20 September 2010: Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, today announced the release of the Glenfiddich 1978 Vintage Reserve, an exceptional single malt with classic Glenfiddich characteristics. This year’s Vintage Reserve is not only the first released under the stewardship of Glenfiddich’s recently appointed Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, but also the first Vintage Reserve selected via Twitter.

On 9th June 2010, Brian Kinsman was joined online by a global panel of eight influential whisky bloggers and journalists.  The group nosed and tasted four single malts and compared tasting notes via the microblogging site.

Their thoughts and impressions on each sample were tweeted and followed live on http://www.glenfiddichvintagereserve.com, before the panel came to a conclusion and selected cask number 28152 as their favourite.

Cask number 28152, which has a strength of 50.7% ABV, will produce 184 70cl cask-strength bottles which will retail at a RRP of £480.
 
Brian Kinsman, the sixth Malt Master in Glenfiddich’s long and distinguished history, commented: “Selecting this year’s Vintage Reserve was hugely exciting for me. Not only was it my inaugural Vintage Reserve selection, but to use Twitter was truly pioneering. It was fantastic to be able to lead a panel of experts from around the world and select such a wonderful whisky.

“For two hours, we nosed and tasted samples from four pre-selected casks, all of which were filled from the same batch on the same day – 25th September 1978. Despite being filled with identical spirit, each American oak hogshead cask imbued its contents with a distinctive personality and characteristic – producing a truly unique whisky. I’m delighted with the panel’s final decision and it’s great to see cask number 28152 released globally.”

The panel agreed that cask number 28152 has a beautifully balanced nose with the hallmark Glenfiddich single malt pear and fruity character. Summer grass, hints of orange marmalade, green bananas, herbs – thyme and bay leaf – and delicate toffee oak notes shine through. It is velvety smooth to the taste, with rich vanilla oak flavours intriguingly punctuated with a vibrant fruitiness. The addition of a little water accentuates the fruit aspect with distinct citrus and red summer berries notes. Over time the spicy character comes through without ever dominating.  Its finish is long and rich with the signature fruity distillery character leaving a lasting impression.

The full conversation can be viewed on Twitter at http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23vintagereserve or at http://www.glenfiddichvintagereserve.com.

The 1978 Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve will join the award-winning range of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies, which also includes Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old, 30 Year Old, 40 Year Old, and 50 Year Old.

Notes
 
The Vintage Reserve selection process took place between midday and 2pm (GMT + 1), on Wednesday 9th June 2010
The 2010 panel was made up of eight whisky bloggers from Sweden, Taiwan, UK, USA, Canada, Russia, Denmark and India
Ho-Cheng Yao, Taiwan. Twitter: @kingfishertw Blog: Single Malt Lover!
Lucas Dynowiak, UK. Twitter: @EdinburghWhisky Blog: Edinburgh Whisky Blog
Noah Rothbaum, USA. Twitter: @liquordotcom Blog: Liquor.com
Rick McGinnis, Canada. Twitter: @rickmcginnis Blog: Rick McGinnis
Hans-Henrik Hansen, Denmark. Twitter: @hhhglenfiddich
Anish Trivedi, India. Twitter: @anish_trivedi Blog: Raw Spirit
Jerry Lindahl, Sweden. Twitter: @avecprovning Blog: blog.livetsgoda.se &
Herr J. Lindahls avecprovning
Ilya Krasilshchik, Russia. Twitter: @maliar Blog: twitter.com/maliar
Prior to the Vintage Reserve selection process, the panel were sent samples of whisky from four American oak hogshead casks, all filled from the same batch on 25th September 1978.

William Grant & Sons Ltd:

William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family.  The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie® single malts and one of the world’s best loved blended Scotches, Grant’s®, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Spiced Rum and Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey® 
 
Visit www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands