Glenfiddich launches Winter Storm in Australia

The highly anticipated Glenfiddich Winter Storm has been officially launched into the Australian market.

The third instalment of Glenfiddich's Experimental Series, the limited-edition whisky has been finished in Canadian Icewine casks, resulting in a crisp premium whisky imbued with a unique layer of sweetness and complexity.  

Glenfiddich Winter Storm joins Glenfiddich IPA Experiment, the world’s first single malt Scotch whisky finished in India Pale Ale (IPA) and Glenfiddich Project XX (pronounced ‘twenty’), the result of a collaboration between 20 whisky experts and Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, which were both launched late 2016. 

The idea for Winter Storm was born during a trip Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, made to Canada in January 2016. He visited Peller Estate - a renowned winery in Niagara - and learned how the grapes had to be picked by moonlight at -10˚C when they were as hard as pebbles. 

Inspired by his experience, Kinsman returned to the Glenfiddich Distillery and started experimenting with several French oak Icewine casks from the Canadian winery - filling them with various Glenfiddich aged malts for up to six months.

“Only the rarer whiskies, those aged for 21 years, could cope with the extra Icewine intensity," he said. "Having more tannins, extracted from years in oak, these malts brought out a uniquely fresh lychee note instead of being swamped by sweetness.”

Peller Estates VP of Winemaking, Craig McDonald, who is Australian and started his winemaking career in Mudgee, added: “It was a privilege to work with Brian on this experiment. We go to extreme lengths to produce our intensely sweet Icewine and are always looking for ways to push the boundaries of taste, so I was intrigued to see how it could be used to create a new unexpected whisky. The resulting liquid is a unique combination of the warming soul of whisky and the frozen cold of Icewine”.  

Glenfiddich Winter Storm is available in stores Australia wide from late August 2018 and is priced at RRP $350.

It comes in a striking white ceramic bottle and beautifully embossed presentation box. It is best enjoyed with a frozen grape in a chilled glass. The Glenfiddich Experimental Series is available from all good liquor stores and bars.