A 21-year-old whisky that has been finished in French oak icewine casks from the Peller Estate winery in Niagara; Winter Storm is described as “a short, crisp premium liquid imbued with a unique layer of sweetness and complexity”.

The creation of Glenfiddich malt master, Brian Kinsman; the whisky came about as the result of a trip to Canada in January 2016, during which he toured the Peller Estate vineyards where grapes are picked at night when the temperature drops to -10˚C.

He returned to the Dufftown distillery to experiment with the casks, filling them with various Glenfiddich aged malts.

“Only the rarer whiskies, those aged for 21 years, could cope with the extra icewine intensity,” said Kinsman.

“Having more tannins, extracted from years in oak, these malts brought out a uniquely fresh lychee note instead of being swamped by sweetness.”

In addition to Glenfiddich’s signature notes of candied sweets and oak, the resulting liquid has flavors of tropical fruit and wine.

“It was a privilege to work with Brian on this experiment,” Craig McDonald, Peller Estates VP of winemaking, added.

“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 joins Glenfiddich IPA Experiment and Glenfiddich Project XX, which both launched in 2016.

Read more at source: The Spirits Business