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Spirit review: Glenfiddich Original takes it back to the single malt that started it all

In the last few years, whiskey has grown in popularity. With so many brands available and new distilleries emerging or redefining themselves, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the options. This column is here to help you learn the basics of various whiskies, scotches and bourbons before you invest in a new bottle.

The spirit: Glenfiddich The Original

At a glance, this bottle looks like the 12-year-old because of its iconic green glass, but take a closer look. "The Original" was the first straight single-malt in United States. Glenfiddich is not trying to say it was the first single-malt distillery, far from it actually -- the distillery was built in 1887. However, if you were drinking scotch whisky outside of Scotland in 1963, then you were drinking blended scotch whisky. No one had thought to market single-malt, and it was just sold to blenders for over seas consumption.

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So in 1963, the Grant family (the owner of Glenfiddich) started selling straight malt to the United States and there is some documentation to back up that they were the first to do so. The bottle didn't have an age on it because the trend of adding ages on the bottle didn't begin until the 1980s.

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Flash forward to today, the Glenfiddich family malt master found a bottle of the 1963, looked at their ledgers for the type of casks they were using during that time, and to the best of his ability recreated what someone would have been drinking had they been a single malt Scotch man in the United States in 1963.

Here's what to expect...

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Nose: Floral with the hallmark Glenfiddich pear.

Palate: Lively fruit notes, biscuit-y with soft vanilla flavors and oakiness.

Finish: Deliciously dry

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Price: $100

Recommended? YES!

If you have questions about this spirit reach out to the local Glenfiddich Ambassador Dave Allardice.

Booze News Insider Josh Hart is an amateur reviewer, but a professional drinker. He has been sipping and learning about whiskeys for a more than a decade and hopes to help you sift through the basics, to find the best bottles for you.