Review #518 - Glen Fohdry 12 Year

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Glen Fohdry, one of the many 'Spirits Direct' brands - these are often available at big box liquor retailers such as Total Wine in the United States. They're generally sourced products from undisclosed distilleries, though a few legitimate brands have also become Spirits Direct partners, more commonly on the American whisky side of things.

These Spirits Direct brands don't always enjoy the best reputation. Total Wine specifically is known to prey on less knowledgeable customers by pushing them toward their house brands, such as Glen Fohdry; often, these whiskies are bottled at low strength, are very opaque in their origins and cask makeup, and are sold at surprisingly low prices compared to their theoretical competition. The reason for that last part seems simple - this might be lower quality stock that legitimate distilleries want to sell off without attaching their name and branding to it, so independent bottlers are able to get it on the cheap.

Not all of these big box whiskies are of poor quality, though. Costco, for example, is known for actually putting some tasty whisky in their 'Kirkland' bottlings, and because of the excellent pricing, they can be great value picks. Let's find out if that's the case with this Glen Fohdry.

This specific bottling carried a 12 year age statement, and... that's about it. No distillery information, of course, and no mention of the casks used for maturation. One refreshing move for this brand, though: they bottle at 47.1% ABV, and they say this isn't chill filtered, so perhaps they're targeting the enthusiast market with this single malt.

Glen Fohdry 12 Year

Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt

Price: USD 48 (2025)

Age Statement: 12 Years

Strength: 47.1% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 100% and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Light and sweet - lemons, lots of vanilla, butterscotch, orchard fruit like green apple and ripe pear. Peppery oak and nutmeg add some spice, and there's a soft dried grass note behind that.

Palate: A medium-thin mouthfeel - a little bit disappointing considering the strength. Again, we get some apple and sweeter honey notes like the nose, but this quickly dives into stronger oak spice, bordering on bitterness. Clove, nutmeg, sour malt, and black pepper... quite drying.

Finish: Spicy oak, and with time, a little bit of acetone is appearing in the finish. Simple, with some vanilla, black pepper, white pepper, and the tiniest hint of honey sweetness. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: Unfortunately, we're not breaking the reputation mold for Spirits Direct here - this Glen Fohdry is a bit sub-par. It isn't a terribly flawed product, but it's quite bland and typical, very one-dimensional. There is a soft alcohol note that isn't particularly well integrated; on the other hand, if you like spicy oak notes, this might be one to try in the budget whisky realm.

Because the score isn't great, value isn't great, either - in the market of 12 year old Speyside whiskies, we're taking competitors like Glenlivet 12 Year and Glenfiddich 12 Year over this bottle every time.

Our Average Rating: 3.8 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 4.13

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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