Glenfiddich

17,000KM

FROM DUFFTOWN

Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador, Luke Sanderson Glenfiddich whisky is the story of William Grant who had a dream to make the ‘best dram in the valley’ in Dufftown, the Scottish Highlands. Driven by passion and vision and with a dash of tenaciousness, he set off to build a distillery by hand. The result was Glenfiddich, Gaelic for ‘valley of the deer’. That was in 1887. Since then Glenfiddich has received more awards than any other single malt Scotch whisky, making it officially the world’s most awarded. Now they’ve launched a luxury whisky lounge on wheels and plan to travel across the country to share their beloved dram with Australians far and wide. Now they’ve launched a luxury whisky lounge on wheels and plan to travel across the country to share their beloved dram with Australians far and wide.

William Grant’s innovative nature is reflected in the Glenfiddich journey through the decades and today is no exception. In an Australian first, Glenfiddich has unveiled the first nationwide whisky bus tour. Aptly named the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer, it is a luxury whisky lounge on wheels. The 1972 vintage Leyland two-story bus is grand in its presence. It stands at four metres tall and is ten metres long. It is fitted with a high-class premium bar and hydraulic pop-up roof and is adorned with a glinting copper stag head, the emblem of the Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky that appears on every bottle.

Glenfiddich launched its personalised labels on board the Whisky Wanderer

The first-of-its-kind Whisky Wanderer embodies William Grant’s pioneering spirit and innovative nature with an initiative that will delight whisky lovers and newcomers to the category. It is travelling the country spreading the story of Glenfiddich and its treasured tales while celebrating the spirit of single malt Scotch whisky. The Whisky Wanderer is bringing the art of the single malt to lovers of whisky.

The biggest dedicated whisky tour ever to be staged in Australia will continue for at least three years and travel more than 9000kms across the country. The focus for 2019 is the East Coast but plans are to get the Whisky Wanderer to other corners of Australia, stopping at food and music festivals, liquor retail outlets and shopping centres.

Guests of the Whisky Wanderer experience intimate spirit tastings and delectable food pairings. The sessions offer something for everyone, an introduction to whisky for the novice and something new for the whisky enthusiast. Every tasting on board begins with the heart of the family distillery, the Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador, Luke Sanderson, is host of the entire journey and shares his exceptional whisky expertise with inquisitive whisky lovers across the country. “Glenfiddich is renowned worldwide for its mastery and innovation, so we wanted to share this appreciation by bringing a hint of our Scottish Highlands distillery to life in Australia,” Sanderson said. “The Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer is the ultimate whisky dream, moving across the country and sharing a taste of the Glenfiddich craft and innovation.”

One of Australia’s greatest food mavericks, Matt Moran joined Sanderson for the launch of the tour. The celebrity chef was delighted to be indulging his other great passion of whisky. He said it was Glenfiddich’s philosophy for possibilities and innovation that drew him into the partnership.

“Glenfiddich and I share a like-minded passion to push boundaries and continually strive to reach new heights,” Moran explained.

On the Whisky Wanderer, guests have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of whisky. They learn about the story of Glenfiddich from Scotland to the world. A wide sample range of malts is available for tasting. Sanderson is on hand to share his expertise and encourage lively discussion around the nuances of the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky. Follow the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer and its Australian adventures on Instagram @gfwhiskywanderer 1886. William Grant, a then shoe maker set about building a distillery with his seven sons and two daughters. Together they began building his Distillery by hand, stone by stone. After a single year of work it was ready and William named it Glenfiddich, Gaelic for Valley of the Deer.

1963. Sandy Grant Gordon, great grandson of William, makes Glenfiddich the first to be actively promote single malt outside Scotland. Consumers around the world used to drinking blended whisky, are initiated to single malt and a new category is born.

1998. Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera Vat is developed. The whisky is mellowed in a unique Solera Vat, a large oak tun inspired by the sherry bodegas of Spain and Portugal. Never emptied, and kept half full of whiskies since 1998 it is like a master stock for whisky and the Solera Vat becomes the first 15 year old expression to enter the top ten best selling single malts.

2016. Glenfiddich launched the Experimental Series, and with it The IPA Experiment, the world’s first single malt Scotch whisky finished in bespoke craft IPA beer barrels.

2017. in a collaboration with renowned Peller Estates winery in Canada, Winter Storm is a 23 year old aged whisky finished in Canadian ice wine barrels.

2019. Fire & Cane is released. Inspired by the early innovation of Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman, who in 2003, first ran peated spirit through the Glenfiddich stills, the whisky is then finished in Latin rum casks to produce a surprising overlay of added caramel toffee sweetness.