Glenfarclas 179th Anniversary

Review by: Raygun

This is a Taiwan exclusive NAS release from 2015 to commemorate Glenfarclas’s 179th anniversary. Found a place that still had a bottle. Rested for 10 minutes.

Distillery: Glenfarclas

Bottler: Glenfarclas

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 50.6%. Possibly cask strength.

Age: NAS

Cask type: Unspecified, but sherry casks

Color: 1.6, mahogany. Probably natural Color and non-chill-filtered, but can’t find anything definite.

Price: $130

Nose: Rich and desserty. Baking spices, dried fruit, orange zest, dark chocolate, and leather. Graphite, which is an unusual one for me. And fortunately, not a hint of sulfur.

Palate: Terrific. There’s some sweetness here that makes me wonder if there might be PX casks in the mix. Mostly dried dates, oranges, apricots, fudge, and spiced cake. Doesn’t taste young at all even being NAS. Good mouthfeel, too.

Finish: Sweetness goes up a notch. Red grapes, dates, apricots, molasses. Some orange zest and breakfast tea. Still intense; I don’t think there were many refill casks in this. Strongly tannic, but not bitter.

Conclusion: Wasn’tI am not usually a fan of Glenfarclas. Their core line is mostly weak and unpleasantly sulfuric. The 105 is at the back of the class of NAS sherry bombs in my opinion. This, however, is great. Surely has some older stuff in here. The only Glenfarclas I’ve had that *might* be better was [this 21](https://old.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/gc66fs/review_253_glenfarclas_21_cask_strength_batch_2/) from Japan. And it’s no slam dunk. This is a winner.

Final Score: 84

Buy again? I’ll put it this way: Glenfarclas is no longer one I’ll try to avoid (but will be selective).

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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