Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is one of the most popular single malt scotch whiskies in the world and for good reason. The classic Speyside single malt is smooth and sippable, and very easy to drink. With an approachable and sweet taste profile, it can be enjoyed by almost every whisky lover. There are, if you feel like trying something new, a number of expressions out there with the approachability of Glenfiddich 12, but with a unique twist.
So, in the interest of keeping you in your comfort zone but expanding your palates, here are my favorite alternatives to the Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. A good chunk of what we’ve recommended below are higher strength bottles, not by an absurd amount, but certainly by a degree that you’ll enjoy. Some are also a little more welcoming in their strengths and style.
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Glencadam 10 Year Old
BUY NOW: $50
Glencadam 10 Year Old is one of the best bang-for-buck single malts on the planet. It’s a Highland rather than a Speyside, but we’re looking for similar bottles here, not exact copies.
The distillery’s style of whisky is effortlessly light and easy-drinking, with some older bottles having more intense cask influences from sherry or port. The 10 year old release is a clean, bright, fruity, and easy-drinking style of whisky that summarises everything that the distillery is about.
If you’ve already worked your way through a few different Glenfiddich bottles, as well as some other Speyside whiskies, then Glencadam is a great side step in terms of flavor, but with a higher alcohol percentage. The Glencadam 10 Year Old offers better value at a lower price, too.
Green Spot
BUY NOW: $42
Let’s take a trip over to the Republic of Ireland now! A little different indeed for a Glenfiddich 12 alternative, but this is one of the best Irish whiskeys on the planet, it is yet to disappoint anyone who wants something sweet and fruity.
A single pot still style of whiskey, so a whiskey made from malted and unmalted barley in the same distillery. Green Spot has bundles of fresh peach, apricot, and mango flavors for you to sink your teeth into.
Produced by the Midleton Distillery, who’s other famous bottles include – Jameson’s, the Redbreast range of whiskeys, and Midleton Very Rare, the list is literally endless at this point.
You’re in safe hands here regarding Irish whiskeys of many different varieties. Green Spot is bottled at the same strength as Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. So if that was a worry for you, then this is an even safer option as an alternative.
Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old
BUY NOW: $51
I can’t remember the last time I spoke about the Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old. Don’t take that as a bad sign, but as a malt whisky, it flies under the radar so well for something so rich and welcoming.
Another Highland distillery, and one that does not release a lot of whisky throughout the year. Typically you’ll only see this 12 Year Old release and the occasional Diageo Special Release product, even indie bottling of Royal Lochnagar are few and far between.
This whisky just tastes like Easter time – it is full of raisin, chocolate, and hot cross bun flavors that transport you back to your childhood.
Again, this is bottled at 40% which makes it more accessible, but for the extra money, you do get something that is a little richer than Glenfiddich 12 year old, and something a little more unusual as a find in the whisky world.
Royal Lochnagar is a key element of the Johnnie Walker blended whiskies, so its production is often used elsewhere, but do try it if you get the opportunity.
Filey Bay Flagship
BUY NOW: $75
We’re now off to England, specifically the east coast of Yorkshire! Filey Bay is one of the best English whisky distilleries currently producing single malt.
Classically double pot distilled, with the odd part of the liquid often being put through a refractor for fun reasons.
Their flagship liquid is matured in ex-American oak and bottled at 46% for a soft, sweet, almost rhubarb and custard taste profile. You have these little sharp notes that are wonderfully contrasted with vanilla sweetness and a decently long finish for a relatively new distillery, certainly when compared to Glenfiddich. But do pay attention to the range of English single malts that are currently available in your part of the world as they won’t disappoint.
Kingsbarns Dream to Dram
BUY NOW: $40
Another fun, young favorite in the world of Scottish single malt whisky. Kingsbarns have built a solid foundation of fresh, vibrant lowland whisky that has been so warmly welcomed from the kingdom of Fife to the whisky works at large.
The Dream to Dram release is a combination of 90% ex-Heaven Hill bourbon cask maturation, with 10% ex-re-charred wine casks, just giving another level of depth to this fresh-faced, fresh-tasting single malt which is becoming a rather praised distillery in the lowlands of Scotland, rightly so, too.