The eagerly-awaited second batch of Glenfiddich's Winter Storm once again sees well-aged whisky from the legendary distillery finished in casks that previously held Canadian icewine (made using grapes harvested while frozen resulting in a powerfully sweet tipple). Released as part of the Glenfiddich Experimental Series, malt master Brian Kinsman believes that only older whiskies can stand up to the intense influence of icewine, which is why Winter Storm is built around 21 year old single malt.
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
A bouquet of tropical fruit and candied sweets are perfectly balanced with underlying wine notes.
Soft sweet notes reminiscent of candied fruit and Turkish delight develop into flavours of mouthwatering lychee. The fusion of sweet flavours is soon met with a rich drying sensation from the icewine.
Short and crisp.
I've had a fair amount of ice wine and have visited one of the vineyards near Niagara, so I was quite excited to give this a go. On the nose it's floral, with strong tropical fruits coming through but it lacked the advertised wine notes. On tasting, it's dominated by tannin initially but gives way to a smooth sweetness, again mostly tropical fruit . The finish is disappointing, short and drying. Expected much more from this and wouldn't purchase again.
Quite good worth each penny
