Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Glenfarclas.
Bottler: Distillery.
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt.
ABV: 58.3%. Cask Strength.
Age: 15 Years. Distilled in 2003. Bottled on 6 Dec. 2019.
Cask type: Fourth Fill Sherry Butt.
Nose: White chocolate and dried fruits; hints of thick, creamy yogurt, orange, and coffee; woodsy baking spices, white chocolate-covered berries; subtle herbal tea and vanilla.
Palate: Thick and creamy, buttery and hefty with more herbal tea upfront and fruits developing on the back; white chocolate, oranges, tangerines, vanilla and cinnamon scones, honey and apricot preserves; spirited and peppery toward the end.
Finish: Very long and slightly drying with floral orange, vanilla, and herbs.
Mental Image: Dessert Yogurt.
Conclusion: A touch hot and prickly on the palate, the youthful, spirited vigor of this Glenfarclas seemed to wash out some of the other notes. After wrapping my initial thoughts, I added some water and found that a few drops elevated more of the latent floral qualities on the nose while cooling off the palate nicely so that additional chocolate, berries, and musk appeared. Water further balanced the mouthfeel and tamed any spirited heat so that each sip developed more of a creamy smoothness.
I enjoyed the aroma more than the palate, as the different notes came out more clearly and with a more defined structure. It may be fair to say that the aroma is propping up this score a decent bit from how I would have otherwise scored it— though it did have a remarkable thickness that carried through on the finish.
Overall, enjoyable. It is not often one gets the chance to try Glenfarclas in a relatively neutral and less active cask— though even as a fourth fill, the sherry butt had plenty to offer, accentuating the fruitier side of the spirit.
Final Score: 85.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 