Review by: The Muskox

The quest for old and excellent whisky to celebrate 1000 reviews continues…

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Distillery: Glenfarclas.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 47.7%. Cask strength.

Age: 32 years. Distilled in 1986. Bottled on July 2nd 2019.

Cask type: Refill butt.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.3, Russet, muscat. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Spiced and sticky. Spiced baked apples, date cookies, mulled wine, macerated berries, pomegranate, and dried orange peels. Dark chocolate, light-roast coffee, and sponge toffee. There’s an earthy side to the sweetness – dried chilis, cool dunnage warehouse, walnuts, maybe even some caramelized mushrooms.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives with dried fruits and pressed flowers, then develops bittersweet and slightly tart, with more pomegranate, burnt sugar and flamed wood, tobacco, and walnuts. Vanilla beans, cloves, star anise, and dates on the back end.

Finish: Medium-long, sweet. Just when it starts to fade, the flavour bursts back with leather, balsamic vinegar, dried ancho chilis, and medjool dates. Lingering Jaffa Cakes, blackberries, and muscat grapes.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Crème de la crème brulée”

Conclusion: A top-notch Glenfarclas. The cask has got to be rather fresh here given the depth of sweetness and red fruit. The arrival on the palate isn’t particularly strong, but I love the bittersweet burnt-sugar character. That second-wind of flavour on the finish is really special. I tried this at the same tasting as the Dalmore 30 Stillman’s Dram – at the time, I thought the Dalmore was significantly better, but revisiting both samples side-by-side I think it’s a toss-up.

Final Score: 90.

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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.