If you drink Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23, the question is simple: is there anything close to it that asks less? There is, and it comes from the same still house. Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21, $328, gives a Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 drinker about 86% of what their own bottle does.
Start with the bottle itself. Grand Cru 23 spends its years in American oak with a small number of sherry casks, then takes up to six months in French cuvée wine casks to finish. The nose is canned apricots in syrup, toasted marshmallows, apple blossom and honey. The palate is fuller: pears, vanilla, freshly sawn timber, warm white bread, caramel, cloves and milk chocolate, with toffee and instant coffee lingering at the end.
Now the price, which is where most of this turns. Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is $511 at Dan Murphy's this week; it usually sells around $559, and the figure has sat between $478 and $559. Spread across about 22 standard drinks in the bottle, that is $23.13 a pour at home, against about $6.28 a standard drink for a $13 pint at the pub. The numbers sit there side by side; where the line falls is yours to draw.
1/Love your Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 and wondering what sits closest to it? Meet Tomintoul 25, the nearest twin at Dan Murphy's. It gives a Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 drinker about 76% of what their bottle does, and costs $222 more.
2/In the glass they split. Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 leans sweet: canned apricots, toasted marshmallows, apple blossom, caramel, milk chocolate. Tomintoul 25 runs drier: peaches, ripe apples, cocoa, milky coffee, soft spices. They share apple, honey, vanilla and milk.
3/This week the Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is $511 at Dan Murphy's and the Tomintoul 25 is $733, roughly $30.86 a pour at home against $23.13. A yes for each: stay with the Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 if it's your bottle, reach for the Tomintoul 25 when you fancy a change.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 558.99 m 478.00 observed | 558.99 m 478.00 observed | 558.99 m 478.00 observed | 558.99 m 478.00 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 558.99 observed | 510.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 555.30 | 558.99 | 13.31 | 510.99 | 558.99 | 48.00 | 2.4% | 3.69 | 510.99 | 8 |
| member | 530.38 | 558.99 | 38.62 | 478.00 | 558.99 | 80.99 | 7.3% | 10.71 | 510.99 | 38 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 555.30 | 177.23 | -3.61 | 13 | 548.1 – 562.5 |
Like Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23? For a drinker of it, Glen Moray 21 gives about 75% of what that bottle does, for 59% of the price, at $304 for members this week. Subtle oolong, ripe red fruits and Tawny Port, honey and oak over a creamy palate. Pour one; more in this week's piece.
Small one from this week's piece on Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23: hand it to a Glen Moray 15 drinker and they'd gladly pay 72% of what their own bottle costs just to have it instead, which is about the nearest answer going. The rest of it's waiting for you in the article.
I ran the numbers on a single pour: Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 comes to $23.13 a standard drink, about 22 in the $511 bottle, which sits it 300th of 310 at Dan Murphy's that way. A pint runs $6.28 a drink, so a pour at home is well over that. More in this week's piece.
Curious what Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is doing this week? It's $511 at Dan Murphy's. It usually sells around $559, so this week sits a touch under. A guide, not a rush. More on it in this week's piece. Pour one and see where it lands for you.
Like Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23? Tomintoul 21 gives you about 77% of it, for 67% of the price. This week it's $340 for members. Floral fruits, sweet barley, a long almond-and-vanilla finish. Pour one yourself. The full piece on Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is up this week.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Balvenie The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $452.99 | $452.62 | +0.37 |
| 2 | Tomintoul 25YO Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $732.99 | $444.45 | +288.54 |
| 3 | Glen Moray 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $342.99 | $442.93 | -99.94 |
| 4 | Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $298.95 | $442.60 | -143.65 |
| 5 | Tomintoul 21 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $368.99 | $438.86 | -69.87 |
| 6 | GLEN GRANT 18 YEARS 700ML | $213.99 | $423.08 | -209.09 |
| 7 | The Balvenie Stories 21YO 'The Second Red Rose' Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $726.99 | $420.64 | +306.35 |
| 8 | Glen Moray 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $163.99 | $410.26 | -246.27 |
| 9 | The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $184.99 | $408.82 | -223.83 |
| 10 | Glen Moray 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $94.00 | $390.37 | -296.37 |