Innovation is a key component in the world of food and beverage. But how do we create classics if we're constantly changing the landscape? Glenfiddich, the world’s most-awarded single malt Scotch whisky, has found a way to disrupt the status quo without compromising on excellence. The Orchard Experiment, the brand’s fifth expression of The Experimental Series, sees the whisky brand collaborate with The Somerset Cider Brandy Company to create a truly unique dram.
Orchard Experiment Tasting Notes
Classic Glenfiddich notes of fresh pear and ripe orchard fruits have been elevated and accentuated by a finishing period in Somerset Pomona Spirit casks to create a rich harvest of crisp orchard fruit flavours — ABV 43 per cent
NOSE: A classic Glenfiddich with a wonderfully fresh pear fruitiness balanced with delicate oak notes.
TASTE: An initial burst of ripe orchard fruits on the palate softens and develops into sweet, creamy toffee, caramelized apple and woody spice.
FINISH: Long-lasting sweetness.
Known for its pioneering spirit, Glenfiddich has created the first single malt whisky to be finished in Somerset Pomona Spirit Casks. The Orchard Experiment was created using select Glenfiddich liquid matured in American Oak while held in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Warehouse. It was then finished for approximately four months in sweet Somerset Pomona Spirit Casks, an exquisite apple spirit, to create a distinctive and fruity whisky.
Glenfiddich's Experimental Series was created to push boundaries within the whisky category, and part of the remit means teaming up with like-minded partners. The Temperley family, founders and owners of The Somerset Cider Brandy Company, is no stranger to experimentation. In 1989, they secured the U.K.’s first-ever full cider-distilling licence and crafted the first commercial cider brandy in Somerset for over 300 years.
For over 200 years, The Temperley Farm in Somerset, UK, has been pressing cider across 180 acres of apple orchard and tending to 10,000 apple trees by hand. Pesticides are never used at the sustainably minded farm, and bee ‘hotels’ are set up for natural pollination.
Somerset Pomona is an apple digestif named after a Roman goddess. It's made from fresh, farm-pressed apple juice and Somerset cider brandy and matured in apple brandy casks for up to two years. The same casks were used to finish Glenfiddich Orchard Experiment, pairing the whisky's depth and intensity with the delicate sweetness of crisp Somerset apples.
