Whisky Names Explained: Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix

This week in Whisky Names Explained, we're focusing on a blessing in disguise: the Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix to be exact. The story behind this whisky is one of misfortune which eventually led to an excellent product with a riveting tale attached. That's precisely what we're going for in this column: the story behind the whisky.

Sometimes, accidents have a silver lining. Monkey Shoulder whisky can attest to that, being named after an old affliction, but Glenfiddich has an even better example of this. We came across the story of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix by accident, and we had to share the story with you.

Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix is a whisky released in a very limited edition (12,000 bottles). It is a blend of various whiskies that were on sale in 2011 for about 80 dollars, but today it changes ownership for thousands of euros.

Interestingly, there's no age mentioned on the label, while reportedly whiskies from Oloroso and American Oak barrels, ranging from 13 to 30 years old, were used in this blend. So why did these aged whiskies suddenly find themselves in an 80 dollar blend? That's a story you'll never forget.

In 2010, a massive storm hit the area of the Glenfiddich distillery. The coldest recorded temperature was -19 degrees, and substantial snowfall occurred. At that time, whisky was maturing in four warehouses of Glenfiddich whisky. However, the roofs of these warehouses couldn't handle the weight of the snow and collapsed with a loud crash.

Staff had to respond immediately, as the whisky barrels were now covered in debris and, let's not forget, a meter of snow! Round-the-clock efforts were made to remove the snow from the barrels and secure the whisky.

But there was another problem: the gaping hole in the roof that still allowed snow to fall in. The only choice was to combine the remaining good barrels into a bottling containing 47,6 percent alcohol: a bottling that the master distiller ultimately named Snow Phoenix. The incident of the collapsed roof still shines on the whisky's packaging.