Welcome back to another fine pairing of two single malts where I get to taste them side-by-side, jot down some notes [in real time, mind you], pick a favourite, and hopefully learn something new in the process. Won’t you join me on this journey? For today’s tasting, I’ve got a dram of the Glenturret 15-year-old, which was hiding behind door #10 of my Cask Explorer‘s 2022 Advent Calendar (Ruby Edition). I decided to pair it with another 15-year-old, this time from the Glenfiddich distillery, which I grabbed from a local shop because it was a non-standard bottling (more on that later). I’m pretty excited to explore these two together, are you? So let’s get to it, but first, we need music! Now Playing: Aphex Twin – Printworks, London 14/09/19

I’ve covered the Glenturret distillery in the past, most recently in this writeup, where I paired its 30-year-old bottling against the same-aged Undisclosed distillery from Berry Bros. & Rudd. I just brushed up on that write-up myself [after all, I probably read these more than other site visitors] and was surprised to recall the actual winner in that particular bout. Which kind of got me even more excited about this whisky. Now, there are many different versions of this 15-year-old – I see some old releases bottled at a pitiful 40% ABV as late as 2020. But in 2018, as the distillery changed hands, I think they finally decided to revisit the quality and began bottling this single malt at a deserving ABV. So that is what I got in my glass now. A 2022 release from a “European Oak” [whatever that means], bottled at 53.0%, which is also an uncoloured and non-chill filtered. I don’t have the pretty crystal bottle that comes along with this release, but it looks pretty enough in my Glen Cairn as it is, and that is all that matters. This is indeed a sherried Scotch, as the nose is dark and rich, like sweet raisins and stewed plums, with some confectionary notes and even chocolate. Let’s go in for a taste! And yeah, it’s almost a sherry bomb, but it definitely needs water. A little sharp on arrival, then burnt caramel, waxiness, and some spice. It’s got a nice long and warming finish, and after the initial impact, it makes me want to go in for another taste. But we must wait!

Let’s go in for the Glenfiddich. I’ve covered this distillery as well, most recently in this write-up against the Glenlivet. So I will skip the background on the “brand” and jump straight to my bottle. As mentioned in my intro, this is not a “regular” 15-year-old either because the standard from the core range is bottled at only 40%, and yes, that one is coloured and chill-filtered and, overall, a bit of a letdown. Yet this one is a “Distillery Edition“, which, although it is still coloured [why?], at least [proudly?] proclaims that it’s non-chill filtered right on the label, and most importantly, it’s bottled at a respectable 51% ABV! So this is the Glenfiddich unlike any other – as close to being an integrity malt as possible. And that is the entire reason why I grabbed this bottle in the first place. It was originally targeted towards Travel Retail, but because of the pandemic, it sat there on the shelves and finally got picked up by a local dealer [presumably at a discount]. But it’s a win for me! I wouldn’t really pick up this 1L bottle in the airport otherwise (see all the things I *would* pick up). Right, so where were we? Okay, the colour. We’ll skip that since it’s irrelevant in here and go straight for the nose. It’s pretty light and fruity and definitely has that familiar profile, which comes from a vatting of American [so ex-bourbon] and European [ex-sherried]] oak casks. Let’s go in for a taste. It’s more of bourbon on the palate, with a bit of apple, mintiness, and light perfume. It’s definitely thicker than the “usual” Glenfiddich, but I will add some water to have it open up.

Distillery / Region	Glenturret / Highland	Glenfiddich / Speyside
Producer	Lalique Group	William Grant & Sons
Bottler / Series	Distillery Bottling / Core range after 2018	Distillery Bottling / Distillery Edition
Stated Age / Vintage	15 years old / 2007	15 years old / 2004
Cask type	European Oak	American and European Oak
ABV / Cask Strength	53.0% / No	51.0% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	Yes / No
Price	£ 120	£100 for a 1L
Did it win? / Did I like it?	No / Yes	Yes / Yes
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	No / No because of price	Yes / Yes, to taste the real malt

With water now in both, let’s try them side-by-side to see how they compare. And so the Glenturret softened up, but still, it’s sharp on arrival. The sherried sweetness is still there, but so is that specific waxiness which I have tasted in this whisky many times. Let’s say it’s part of its profile – you either like it or you don’t. Now to the Glenfiddich. It’s definitely drier, woodsier, and leaning more away from sherried malt. It’s kind of simply there – like a good Glenfiddich friend. After all, this is why so many people new to whisky start with this fantastic single malt. Except, it’s better than the core range, which is essentially watered down. But which one stands out here today? Let’s go in the reverse. I think the Glenfiddich is slightly oakey for my taste. It basically spent too much time in those oak barrels. But then the Glenturret, although nice and sherried, got that funk as if it spent its time inside a barrel made of wax. I can assure you that I wouldn’t pay £147 for the 2023 release of 15-year-old Glenturret. At least the Glenfiddich is 50 pounds less, which is a 1L bottle! I think the price will make the final call, and with that said, I will proclaim the Glenfiddich 15-year-old (Distiller’s Edition) as the winner of this round.