Madeira, the fortified wine of the eponymous Portuguese island, was for centuries the drink of the Atlantic crossing. Its ability to withstand long sea voyages — indeed to be improved by them — made it indispensable to ships' provisioning, and casks of it were carried to North America, the West Indies and around the Cape. Glenfiddich's Age of Discovery Madeira Cask draws on this maritime history, finishing nineteen-year-old Speyside malt in casks that once held the wine.
The cask type is one Glenfiddich has explored more than once. Madeira's oxidative character — the result of its deliberate heating and slow exposure to air — leaves behind a residue of dried fruit, nut and caramel that is unusually complementary to a long-aged bourbon-matured malt. This bottling appears to follow that template: the bulk of the maturation in American oak, then a finishing period in Madeira wood long enough for the wine character to mark the spirit without smothering it.
The nose is a rich Speyside study — stewed quince, dried apricot, walnut oil and a glaze of toffee orange. The palate is generous and softly resinous, carrying barley sugar, fig jam and candied citrus peel through a polished oak warmth. It is sweet without being cloying, and the nineteen years of patience show in the integration of the wine influence with the underlying malt. The finish is long and gently dry, raisin giving way to a clean nutty close.
Of the three Age of Discovery expressions, the Madeira is the most successful marriage of cask and spirit. The maritime conceit, for once, has substance behind it.
