GLENFIDDICH WITH FOUR NEW SOLERA VAT LAUNCHES

 Glenfiddich Unveils Travel Retail- Exclusive Perpetual Collection

Glenfiddich has unveiled a travel retail-exclusive range called The Perpetual Collection. Brand owner William Grant & Son launched the collection in European travel retail on 01 August 2022 with a global roll-out planned for October, a range of whiskies that are in perpetual motion within vats that have never been emptied. This concept embodies a connection which is a direct line from the past to the future.

The line-up features contemporary artwork by Berlin-based studio ANF adorning the packaging and includes a special variation of six bespoke pieces of 3D artwork, featuring generative art created by code, meaning consumers will have distinct designs of the end product from which to choose. This implies interaction between buyer and seller to examine the variations of the pieces of 3D artwork so consumers can select their favoured design. Once the product moves into the common market as such, interaction may no longer be possible.

A statement from the distillery notes that each successive vat fill in The Perpetual Collection is like a new generation of whisky, building on the past, increasing in character, dimension and complexity. 

This is Glenfiddich’s biggest launch in global travel retail in the last decade – the perfect celebration of the world of travel opening back up. A range of whiskies that never sit still, for travellers always in motion.

The range was crafted through an innovative Solera Vat process. The whiskies were matured within vats that have never been emptied. Each new successive vat fill builds on the flavours of the past, enhancing the liquid’s character, dimension and complexity. 

There is a lot of advertising hype in Glenfiddich’s biggest launch in global travel retail in the last decade, revolving around ‘the perfect celebration of the world of travel opening back up – a range of whiskies that never sit still, for travellers always in motion’. The time spent at the airport is that exciting moment where the adventure starts and those flying will get something special to enhance their experience and remind them of their travels. This new range is enticing for all, whether it’s a gift for a maverick loved one or a treat for oneself. The Perpetual Collection offers travellers a unique moment of enjoyment to capture their life that never stands still.

While the Solera ageing process itself has been around for a couple centuries now, it seems like some of the more prominent whisky production companies are starting to rely on this process to age their spirits. Why is this trend happening? What exactly is it, anyway? And does any of this really impact the final product?

Market Dynamics

Whisky might seem like a simple product. Distil a bunch of spirits, chuck it in a barrel, and take it out when it’s done. But the business of whisky production is much more complicated. Because there’s a significant lag between when the whisky is distilled and when it can be bottled — sometimes decades or more — the distillery needs to be able to forecast very accurately how much product they are going to need in the future.

That isn’t always easy. The whisky bubble of the 1960s and 1970s was a hard-earned lesson for many distilleries and a perfect illustration of market forces in action. In the Mad-Men-1950s in the USA, whisky was in short supply with distilleries unable to make enough to meet the rampant demand. As a result, those distilleries started churning out new whisky, stocking it in their cellars expecting to turn a huge profit in a few years. The problem was that by the time the whisky was ready, the market had shunned whisky in favour of vodka and demand plummeted. Distilleries were left with huge quantities of whisky for which they had no buyer, a massive liability and expense, and many of them would never financially recover.

Here in 2020, the whisky manufacturers found themselves in a similar situation to the 1950s. There’s a massive demand for whisky in the market and, while whisky, in general, is doing well, there are specific brands that are doing better than others. The whisky-drinking public seems much better educated about their spirits these days and, as a result, the more highly-esteemed distilleries are selling out almost as soon as the spirit hits the shelves.

The Normal Whisky Ageing Process

Whisky, made the traditional way, is a time capsule in a bottle. It’s a product that was grown, distilled, and casked at a specific point in time (typically, many years in the past). Some distillers never even get to enjoy the fruits of their labour once they put the whisky in the barrel, sending it into the future for future generations to enjoy instead. You can almost feel the fingerprint of the people who made it when you open these bottles.

Especially with bourbon, barrels are brand new for each run of whisky and used only once. The whisky goes into the barrel, the head distiller tastes it along the way, and once the whisky is ready the barrel is dumped out and the contents bottled. Sometimes multiple barrels are combined to make a single run of whisky — but either way, once the barrel is empty, that’s the end of its life in the USA. But it will do the Phoenix act and play a major role in Scotland, Ireland and other whisky-producing countries.

The Van Winkle family owned and ran the Stitzel-Weller distillery during its heyday, and the whisky that they produced is highly sought after by knowledgeable whisky connoisseurs. Sadly, the facility was purchased in 1972 by a company that would later become the British spirits giant Diageo and the plant was almost immediately shut down. Some of the prized whisky that was still ageing in their warehouse would go on to become part of the Crown Royal mix for a while, and other barrels were purchased by the Van Winkle family for their own bottling purposes… but over time, the stocks were depleted.

Recently, Diageo realised that they had let a goldmine slip through their fingers. They only had a few barrels of whisky left at this point — not enough to sustain an operation. Using the traditional methods, that whisky would be used and gone in a heartbeat. They needed a different option, and they turned to the solera method for help.

The Solera Method

With a whisky aged in the normal way, it’s an all-or-nothing kind of deal. Once the barrel is tapped, the entire contents of the barrel are disgorged and bottled. And that is precisely what the Solera method aims to change.

With the Solera ageing method, instead of emptying the entire barrel, only a portion (typically around half) of the contents are removed. The rest of that original product remains behind, and then the newly produced product is added to restore the barrel to full capacity. The mixture is then placed back into storage to age.

This process was pioneered in Sherry Bodegas in Spain; according to that traditional method, a series of casks would be used to gently age the liquid inside. With each cycle, some of the volumes of the oldest casks would be drained off and sold, with the now missing volume being replaced from the next oldest cask in line. This pattern would be repeated, with the younger casks donating some of their contents to the slightly diminished older casks until the youngest cask was reached. There, the newly made liquid would be added to start its way through the process.

Some producers who use this method arrange their casks vertically, such that gravity can assist the flow of liquid from the “young” casks on top finally ending in the oldest casks in the bottom. The word “solera” means “on the ground” in Spanish, referring to the oldest casks on the bottom of the stack.

The idea here is to try and produce a product that is more consistent — more reliable in flavour — than if new barrels were used every time. In theory, each successive bottle should taste almost exactly like the previous one. If done properly this can create a more elastic and consistent pipeline for spirits. When times are a bit slack, the whisky can just stay in the barrels and continue to age. But when the demand ramps up, the pipeline can start to flow once more, with the exact same flavour profile coming out as before.

The problem arises when companies start using this process to add a splash of history to new whisky, especially when it doesn’t come from the same source. This would be against SWA Regulations for a single malt and the new spirit would then become a blended malt.

First, this is the whisky equivalent of the Ship of Theseus. In the early stages, there’s undoubtedly some of that original whisky that comes in each bottle, but with each successive repetition of the process, there’s a lower and lower percentage of that original spirit in each bottle. At what point does the whisky in the bottle no longer resemble the original spirit? When can it no longer be called Glenfiddich whisky? According to the Solera method, this can continue indefinitely, even after the last original molecule of original whiskey has been removed.

The second issue is that the whisky that is added to the barrel needs to be identical in source to the whisky that was removed. It needs to be the same grain bill, the same age/one year younger, and has had the same care and attention given to it. The sherry manufacturers who use this process, for example, take great care to have a series of barrels evenly spaced in terms of how long the liquid has been in each, and regularly rotate that spirit. Three barrels placed one year apart, where half the liquid is shifted every year, produce a continuous and consistent flow of sherry of equivalent quality that’s about three years old. In a situation where there are years of time between the old and new whisky, it’s difficult to imagine that the flavour profile wouldn’t drift away from where it started.

As a way to keep producing high-quality spirits in a more consistent and repeatable process, some distillers are turning to the Solera ageing method to help ride out the spikes and valleys in demand for their product.

Solera Process: Good Or Bad?

Admittedly, this section heading may be a little more conclusive than justifiable. It’s not quite that black and white. The Solera method is just another ageing process, like many others used by manufacturers to age and flavour their spirits. Some ageing processes have better results than others, and much of it depends on the application of the process and what is required to be accomplished.

A distillery doing a proper Solera ageing method for their whisky can undoubtedly produce some fantastic and consistent products. And once they get into the groove, they can just keep cranking it out for centuries to come without much drift in quality. Done for the right reasons and in the correct way, the Solera method can be a fantastic tool.

Age Statement

A Solera in spirits can also refer to a Solera Vat, rather than the more arduous traditional Solera system. In this set-up, whisky is aged traditionally and then placed into a large wooden vessel to finish its maturation. Once in the vat, it’s blended with an older product that’s kept inside. After the spirits marry, the concoction is ready to be bottled. Both systems have their advantages, and both are credited with encouraging a consistent product that exhibits rich, complex characteristics.

It’s rare that a Solera whisky has an age statement—especially one as high as these 15 and 18-year-old Speyside whiskies from Glenfiddich. That’s because it spends that stated amount of time in traditional barrel warehouses, maturing in ex-sherry and new American oak casks.

Once it reaches the stated age, the whisky is then transferred to what the distillery calls a Solera tun, a very large container which already has single malts of the stated age. This large vat is where the newly added aged whisky is allowed to mix with older reserves and mellow. Glenfiddich’s Solera Vat is always kept half full and it has not been fully emptied since 1998 for the 15-year-old and more recently for the 18-year-old.

The Solera Vat process was pioneered by Glenfiddich and adds continuous layers of flavour to the whisky. Glenfiddich only bottles half of the whisky in the vats before refilling, which means that the Vats always contain remnants of the original whisky. The original Glenfiddich 15 YO was the first ever expression to use Solera Vats. That 15 YO is an exceedingly gentle, fruity whisky that’s tame enough for newbies and complex enough for middle-of-the-road sippers. The weak 40% ABV was a letdown. Moreover, while the colour is quite appealing, it doesn’t necessarily come entirely from the cask. The E150A is obvious, but the VAT 03 whisky, which is lighter in colour, may not have artificial colouring, but who's to say?

According to Glenfiddich, the line comprises four expressions: Vat 01, Vat 02, Vat 03 and Vat 04. Vat 01 is a 40% ABV single malt. The blend is forever in motion within the Solera Vat 1 and offers sweet and spicy notes, with added depth and complexity due its maturation in bourbon and red wine casks.

                 

While Vat 01 (NAS) offers sweet and spicy notes, Vat 02 (NAS) is mellow yet complex. At 43% ABV, this rich single malt was double matured in oak and Spanish sherry casks and has a smooth and silky finish. 

VAT 03

Details: 70Cl 50.2% ABV 15 YO

Unique to Scotch whisky, the hand-crafted Solera Vat 03, a large Oregon pine tun, elevated over 25 years of maturation of spirits from American, virgin American oak and European sherry casks, distinctly embodies the Glenfiddich Pioneering Spirit. This silky-smooth full-bodied whisky harmoniously combines warm notes of spice with hints of nutty marzipan and dark sherry oak.

A satisfyingly rich and sweet Glenfiddich for connoisseurs, it was first made available exclusively in Global Travel Retail, gravitating into leading retail distributors.

Distillery Tasting Notes

Colour: Golden, with a reddish hue.

Nose: Intriguingly complex aroma with sweet heather honey and vanilla fudge combined with rich dark fruits.

Taste: Silky smooth revealing layers of sherry oak, marzipan, cinnamon and ginger. Full-bodied and bursting with flavour.

Finish: Satisfyingly rich with a lingering sweetness. 

VAT 04

Details: VAT 04 70Cl 45.2% ABV 18 YO

Patiently aged in oloroso sherry and bourbon casks for 18 years, Glenfiddich’s most distinguished Solera whisky is married and continuously transformed in Solera Vat 4 to deliver a deep, rich aroma of robust oak, ripe orchard fruit and baked apple. It is a luxuriously fruity and exceptionally rewarding Glenfiddich. Mistakenly reported elsewhere as a 47.8% ABV.

Distillery Tasting Notes:

Colour: Rich bronze

Nose: Loaded and indulgent with ripe orchard fruit, spiced apple and vibrant vanilla oakiness.

Taste: Warm, mellow and velvety smooth. Sweet oak notes and soft fruits combine beautifully.

Finish: Warming, rewarding and distinguished.

The technique was pioneered for the 15-year-old expression and now three more vats have been constructed for the Select, i.e. this expression, Reserve and Vintage Cask range. The vatting cask for the 40-year-old, the Vintage Cask, containing whiskies from the 1920s, is also never fully emptied.

Vat 01 (1L) has a RRP of £47 (US$65), while Vat 02 (1L) has an RRP of £57 (US$79). Vat 03 is available for £62 (US$89) and Vat 04 at £90 (US$119). Sadly, both Vat 03 and Vat 04 are bottled in a 70cl format.

The collection’s perpetual motion theme is brought to life by the vibrant packaging, which represents the dynamism of the Solera Vat process. The packaging features contemporary artwork from Berlin-based studio ANF, which created the designs using computer-generated code to offer bespoke pieces of 3D artwork.

The global travel retail channel is returning with momentum post-pandemic and Glenfiddich has continued to perform exceptionally well, consistently delivering rare and premium offerings to customers and consumers around the world.

We are delighted to be able to offer this stunning new exclusive Glenfiddich range of
bespoke liquids to the global travel retail channel. The distillery team has done an
amazing job of maturing some very fine liquids in new packaging reflecting the energy
and passion that each bottle contains. They truly are a line from the past to the future,
a reflection of Glenfiddich, a ‘single malt whisky which never stands still’
David Wilson,  MD, William Grant & Sons

Glenfiddich is rolling out a series of pop-up spaces across selected airports to celebrate the launch. At the pop-ups, travellers will be able to explore the collection through an immersive experience which includes interacting with the artworks, tastings and gifting.

The time spent at the airport is that exciting moment where the adventure starts; those flying often do something special to enhance their experience and remind them of their travels. This new range is enticing for all, whether it’s a gift for a maverick loved one or a treat for oneself, The Perpetual Collection offers travellers a unique moment of enjoyment to capture their life that never stands still. 

Personal Impression

I believe that the first two sets, Vat 1 and Vat 2, are best left alone. Vat 1 is a NAS 40% ABV unknown entity. Vat 2 has a higher proof, at 43% ABV, but is still NAS. The single malts therein are likely 11-13 years old. Only Vata 3 and 4 need to be considered for purchase. Their proof ratings are good and both are non-chill-filtered. At 15 and 18 years, they will cost a pretty packet.