By Contributor,Mark Littler

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Looking for alternatives to Glenfiddich 12 Year Old? Here are five expert picks to expand your whisky journey.
Mark Littler

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is the quintessential speyside scotch. It is up there with the first whisky, or at least the first single malt, tried by many. It’s a classic for a reason but if you’re new to single malt, or just after ideas on how to expand your drinking horizons, where do you even start?

I contacted five experts from across all sides of the whisky industry to get their opinions on this classic, and offer some alternatives.

Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt

Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt is a light, fruity Scotch with a sustainable edge that reflects the new wave of modern distilling.

Hugo Silm, Head of Sales for Cut Your Wolf Loose and Artful Dodger, chose Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt for his selection. Nc’Nean is a relatively new distillery that is really pushing the boundaries of what to expect from scotch whisky, which makes it perfect for anyone wanting to push their own drinking boundaries.

“Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt offers a similar light and fruity profile to Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, but with a bit more texture and character,” said Silm over an email with me to discuss alternatives. “It’s a great introduction to the new wave of scotch distilleries, and its focus on sustainability gives it a modern relevance that really resonates with today’s drinkers.”

Often the most difficult part of getting people into whisky is when they’ve tried something they didn’t like and just assumed they won’t like any of it. Nc’Nean is Silm’s go to bottle in this situation too:

“I’ve poured this for plenty of people who thought they weren’t into whisky, and it’s often the one that turns them around.”

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Lagavulin 16 Year Old brings approachable peat with smoky sweetness and depth for those ready to branch out.
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For his pick, Aaron Chan, Founder of Kythe Distillery and Keeper of the Quaich, selected another classic, but this time from Islay. For many the Lagavulin 16 Year Old is another gateway whisky, this time to the world of peated whisky.

“While Glenfiddich 12 isn’t a peated whisky, a perfect next step would be Lagavulin 16. It’s the equivalent in terms of approachability for a whisky style that can sometimes feel intimidating.”

“The subtle smokiness and sweetness of the Lagavulin 16 Year Old offers a completely different dimension for novice whisky drinkers, allowing them to take their experience up a notch. At 43% it is approachable but also highly enjoyable.”

Askeim 8 Year Old

Askeim 8 Year Old is a Swedish single malt made with heritage barley that delivers a rich, malty, and complex character.
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“Glenfiddich 12 was one of my favorite official bottlings in the early years when I started to drink whisky. The fruity and smooth taste is quite suitable for a rookie,” explained Rex Weng, Independent Bottling Specialist at Whisky Find, over an email with me to discuss his alternative picks.

Rex decided to step out of Scotland for his alternative to Glenffiddich: Askeim 8 Year Old is a Swedish whisky made by the Smögen Distillery that was established in 2009.

“The historic Glenfiddich distillery uses modern barleys like Optic, Belgravia, and Concerto to make light, fruity, and smooth whisky,” Rex explained. “The Smögen Distillery was founded in 2009 but in the 2010s they started to use heritage barleys like Golden Promise and Maris Otter to make a whisky that is rich, malty, and complex.”

The Askeim 8 Year Old uses golden promise barley to bring back a classic taste that is perfect to explore as a counterpoint to the Glenffidich 12. “At this cross point of whisky history, we’re lucky that we have the chance to enjoy both great works”

The Glen Grant 12 Year Old

The Glen Grant 12 Year Old balances fruit and spice with a touch more sherry influence than its Speyside peers.

“Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is generally seen as the archetypal modern Speyside single malt,” explained Iain Russell, former Brands Heritage Manager at The Glenmorangie Co when I asked for his alternative suggestion over email. “There are many other Speysiders which possess a similar style and taste, but my personal favourite is The Glen Grant 12 Year Old.”

The Glen Grant 12 Year Old was reintroduced in 2016 and delivers the balance of fruit and spice you would expect from classic Speyside.

“I fell in love with Glen Grant (it hadn’t acquired the definitive article as yet!) when I worked on projects there during the 1990s. For me, it has a slightly more pronounced sherry character than its Glenfiddich equivalent, and at the slightly greater strength (it’s bottled at 43% abv) offers a bit more ‘heft’. It delivers all the fruit and spice that one looks for in a standard Speysider.”

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old remains the quintessential Speyside single malt and a reference point for whisky drinkers everywhere.
Glenfiddich

For Ian Thompson, Vice President of Asset Management at Forgestone Capital and Certified Scotch Professional, his question to me was why would you look for an alternative?

“Glenfiddich 12 Year Old isn’t my favourite scotch, but it might be the most important. Rightly or wrongly, it defines, for me, the baseline of what a single malt scotch is,” explained Thompson when I contacted him to get his take on exploring beyond the classic Speyside whisky.

“For me Glenfiddich 12 is the gateway dram, the one found on back bars and in home cabinets across the globe. It’s everywhere for a reason,” Thompson elaborated. “Everything else, from peat monsters to sherry bombs, is a variation on the theme it sets.”

Thompson’s point is an interesting one, not so much saying you should start with Glenffidich, or finish with it, but that it should be an important part of every whisky journey. For beginners the classic Speyside style is part of an introduction to scotch. But even for those looking to take their whisky journey to the next level, Glenffidich 12 works as a base point for exploring all different styles.

“When introducing newcomers, I usually start with a gentle dram like Dalwhinnie 15 or Auchentoshan 12. Once they realize that not all whisky is a smoky, salty, peat-laden sensorial assault, I bring them to Glenfiddich 12.” explained Thompson. “Watching the look of discovery cross their face in that moment is one of the great joys of my whisky ministry. Well, that and drinking it, of course.”

So there you have it, the experts I spoke with all agreed that the Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is a classic for a reason. Yet it can still provide the perfect springboard for exploring different types and styles of whisky.

It really is incredible the nuance of flavours, character and experience that different whisky makers can create. So whether you love whisky or are new to it, remember to keep exploring to find what resonates with you.

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