Batch Differences - One Good, Others Not So Good

[Islay Peat]

I've had Glenfiddich 12 on a handful of occasions so far and have only in one instance thought of it as palatable for my tastes. That one particular bottle has tasted good every time, but others have only been drinkable, but not enjoyable for me.

The particular bottle of Glenfiddich 12 that I liked is older, possibly 15 years or more, and if I remember rightly, the label and packaging are different from they are now.

So the differences I'm noticing, are they more likely to be due to batch variations, or has Glenfiddich had a general change in the distillation process that accounts for my liking one bottle, but not another?

[Islay Peat]

No one with any knowledge/opinion on the matter?

Still getting used to the world of whisky and trying to understand what would make one drink taste heavenly from one bottle and not another and if there are general changes made at distilleries from time to time that change the inherent nature of their primary product.

[505Gibbs]

Originally Posted by Islay Peat

No one with any knowledge/opinion on the matter?

Still getting used to the world of whisky and trying to understand what would make one drink taste heavenly from one bottle and not another and if there are general changes made at distilleries from time to time that change the inherent nature of their primary product.

Everyone has an opinion and here's mine:
The distillery's 'master blender' is responsible for producing a consistant product. Sampling many casks and choosing those that when they are mixed/blended produce the consistent product like they have bottled in the past under a given 'name' i.e. 12 yr old Glenfiddich. The same would be true if it were Jack Daniels Black label.
True single cask bottlings could vary depending on the quality of the cask or casks involved.
I don't think a distllery, in this case Glenfiddich, would tamper with the method of distillation from batch to batch - just my $0.02!
I'm curious about the 12 yr that tasted like a 15yr or older?
The 15yr Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, if its this one, has usually received fairly high praise - its one I really enjoy. An additional item to remember is that the age i.e. 12 yr or 15 yr is the youngest age of a cask used in the blend not necessarily the age of all the casks.

[Islay Peat]

Originally Posted by 505Gibbs

Everyone has an opinion and here's mine:
The distillery's 'master blender' is responsible for producing a consistant product. Sampling many casks and choosing those that when they are mixed/blended produce the consistent product like they have bottled in the past under a given 'name' i.e. 12 yr old Glenfiddich. The same would be true if it were Jack Daniels Black label.
True single cask bottlings could vary depending on the quality of the cask or casks involved.
I don't think a distllery, in this case Glenfiddich, would tamper with the method of distillation from batch to batch - just my $0.02!
I'm curious about the 12 yr that tasted like a 15yr or older?
The 15yr Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, if its this one, has usually received fairly high praise - its one I really enjoy. An additional item to remember is that the age i.e. 12 yr or 15 yr is the youngest age of a cask used in the blend not necessarily the age of all the casks.

Thanks for the excellent reply and I guess it then goes that when a master blender retires then the next one may end up making choices, for any number of reasons, which may or may not affect the overall flavor of a whisky.

I don't know what that one bottle of Glenfiddich 12 tastes like other than I was surprised to like it so well when every other experience had taught me that I didn't care for it. I do think that particular bottle is over 15 years old due to the time frame of my friends death and the different appearance of the box and label. I know none of that should affect the flavor, which is why I became curious as to what else could explain the difference in flavor.

[505Gibbs]

Originally Posted by Islay Peat

Thanks for the excellent reply and I guess it then goes that when a master blender retires then the next one may end up making choices, for any number of reasons, which may or may not affect the overall flavor of a whisky.

I don't know what that one bottle of Glenfiddich 12 tastes like other than I was surprised to like it so well when every other experience had taught me that I didn't care for it. I do think that particular bottle is over 15 years old due to the time frame of my friends death and the different appearance of the box and label. I know none of that should affect the flavor, which is why I became curious as to what else could explain the difference in flavor.

There are certain changes in the labeling, usually subtle, that might occur over time for a given product.
The 'older' 12 yr that your friend had - what were the storage conditions, was the bottle exposed to sunlight for a period of time[direct sun], what was the level in the bottle[oxidation], was the bottle kept on its side exposed to the cork? All of these can have an effect on the spirit.
One other thought - when distillery's blender retires or unfortunately passes away his or her sucessor has most likely been an 'apprentice' if you will and has or should have a pretty damn good idea what a particular 'blend' should taste like to the buying public. The last thing a distillery would want is a 'off' blend that would alienate their buyers.

[Islay Peat]

The bottle in question was in a storage cupboard and standing upright at more than 3/4 full.

Can't wait to see it again and get some pics, as it would be nice to see if Jojo can date the bottle and box.