Scotch Whisky at Glenfiddich

Date of this event: January 2, 2013

James, Dad, and I woke up early to head to Dufftown in Speyside for our single malt Scotch whisky tour at Glenfiddich.  

Before making our trip to Dufftown, we phoned Glenfiddich to confirm the tours would be running on January 2nd. Upon our arrival, we were told that we would not get to go on a tour of the distillery because they simply couldn't get the doors unlocked and the videos started. We were gutted. My dad was very keen on learning the Scotch whisky distillation process and seeing how the process worked.

Tip: When you go visit Glenfiddich, I recommend going during the middle of the busy season instead of the first day the distillery opens again for the new year.

The grounds of Glenfiddich distillery are quite picturesque.

Glenfiddich was founded in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland.

Glenfiddich means "valley of the deer" in Gaelic.

We walked a bit of the grounds and asked many questions about Scotch to try to make our trip worth it. After we stalled for about an hour, we received the news that the doors to the distillery had been unlocked! Unfortunately, we had to skip the movie that explained a bit of history, but we headed on in for a tour!

Milling and Mashing- The malted barley must be ground in order for easy access to the sugars within. Ground barley then enters the Mashturn to be mixed with water three separate times. The end product is then transferred into the Washback.

The water source for production is the Robbie Dhu Springs. The water is used as a coolant.

Whisky Fermentation- The yeast feeds on the sugar and the carbohydrates to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The whisky stays in this stage for a little over two days.

Whisky Distillation- Copper stills in the distillery are used for the distillation process. Single Malt Whisky in Scotland is distilled twice. Irish whiskey is distilled three times. The distillation process is really what shapes spirit character.

Whisky Maturation- After this stage, the Scotch is matured in wooden oak casks. The wooden casks used have been previously used for Bourbon in America or sherry in Spain. The cask "breathes" and the spirit is forced in and out of the oak. (We weren't allowed to photograph this stage due to risk of an explosion.)

Time for a wee dram!

We tasted Glenfiddich 12 year, 15 year, and 18 year reserves.

James enjoyed placing the glasses so it looked like I was the one who did all of the whisky tasting.

Touring Glenfiddich was a wonderful way to learn the history of Scotch whisky. If you only have time for one distillery tour, Glenfiddich is a must!