BEST Drop 2014 – Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage

Aside from the cars, the gadgets and other goodies we’re recognising with the EFTM BEST awards, there’s a very important category – The BEST Drop.  A beer perhaps?  Vodka mix drink?  Nope, we’ve gone to the very top of the pile when it comes to scoring a truly great drop – Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage.

For starters this drop costs $1,250 a bottle, so rare is the special edition whisky only 286 bottles exist on the planet, with just eight making it down under. Conceived by the family company during their centenary celebrations 25 years ago. It has very distinctive bronze colouring and potent aroma, and an alcohol by volume content of 55.3%.

For whiskyphiles it has a nose of rich fruit cake, toasted almonds and cinnamon flavours, underpinned by a zesty citrus note enveloped in vanilla sweetness, allowing hints of liquorice, leather and ground coffee. On the tongue it takes on a beautiful velvety texture, rich and spicy with a sweet sherbety flavour. The depth of oak tannin creates an intriguing balance of sweet and dry with a luxurious mouth coating oiliness, which is decadently succeeded by a long-lasting, sweet, oaky finish.

Even a whisky novice such as me will acknowledge there’s something very special going on here, I’ll also concede me drinking a nip was like a rat with a gold tooth. How could this not be an EFTM Best Drop?