Description
Glenfiddich 33y Archive Collection Single Malt Scotch Whisky 48.2%
The Glenfiddich Archive Collection is a series of rare, old Glenfiddich casks – each a time capsule that presents an exclusive opportunity to unlock the rich & storied history of Glenfiddich.
Glenfiddich 33 Year Old Archive Cask 1990 is an exceptional single malt whisky matured in carefully selected refill casks. With an impressive 33 years of maturation, this whisky has been added to the acclaimed Glenfiddich Archive Collection exclusively for the German market – a tribute to the 1990s. Master Blender Brian Kinsman personally selected the casks with the utmost precision.
This single malt whisky retains its authenticity: it has not been cold filtered or dyed, allowing the whisky to retain its full intensity and complex palette of aromas.
It is bottled at cask strength at 52,8 % alcohol and is limited to just 146 bottles, with two remaining in the distillery’s archives. It is a true collector’s item that will delight connoisseurs and lovers of exclusive whiskies alike.
Glenfiddich Archive Collection
The Archive Collection celebrates the distillery’s long history. It includes three unique single malts, distilled in 1973, 1984 and 1987. The most special within the collection is probably the 1987 Christmas centenary cask, laid down on Christmas Day by the Grant family to celebrate the distillery’s 1st Centenary milestone. It also happens to be my birth year and the year of some great rock music.
The Glenfiddich Archive Collection will be available for purchase from spring 2023.
FERMENTATION IN THE WASHBACKS
Yeast is added to the wort as it is pumped from the cooler into the traditional wooden fermentation vessels, the ‘washbacks’. Our handmade washbacks are made of Douglas fir rather than the stainless steel that many other distilleries use. This traditional method of production is kept so as to not alter the flavour of the whisky.
These washbacks are a towering 17 feet high (5 metres), and are filled to within 3 feet (1m) from the top. As fermentation raises the temperature from around 19°C to about 33°C, the resulting carbon dioxide gas creates a massive, hot frothing head to the wort that foams up the remaining 3 feet (1m) to the top of the washback and has to be kept down with mechanical beaters.
After around 64 hours of fermentation, the furious bubbling subsides, leaving a brown liquid of 8-9% ABV, similar to a strong beer – the ‘wash’.
ALCHEMY AND DOUBLE DISTILLATION IN THE STILL HOUSE
The heart of the distillation process lies in the still house, where the wash is distilled in copper pot stills that exactly match the shape and size of the original stills bought over a century ago by William Grant. Every bump and dent is reproduced – we’re not taking any chances with our unique flavour.
The stills continue to be heated by ‘direct firing’ (applying a naked flame directly under the base). The wash in the stills is gradually heated until the alcohol turns to vapour. The vapour rises through the narrowing neck of the still and is guided downwards and through a water-cooled condenser. This condenses the vapour into an intermediate liquid, known as ‘low wines’. The low wines, containing about 21% alcohol, are heated in remarkably small ‘spirit stills’, smaller versions of the wash still.
The vaporised alcohol is drawn off and condensed as before, and then trickles down into the imposing, gleaming brass and glass ‘spirit safe’, where the flow of spirit can be controlled. This liquid is now legally a bonded, taxable spirit, so it is kept under lock and key. The stillman runs the delicate operation of monitoring this distillation – any mistake can ruin the whisky’s flavour. Only the fine middle cut, or ‘heart’ of the distillation is retained for maturation. The stillman catches it at the flick of a tap – a new batch of Glenfiddich is born.
Trade name
Malt Whisky
Item No.
1653305
Country of origin
Great Britain
Alcohol by volume [% AbV]
48.2
Manufacturer information
William Grant & Sons Distillers Limited,Grangestone Industrial Estate,KA26 9PT Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland,GB
Warnings
Drink responsibly.
Storage conditions
Store in a cool dry place.
