We've got a few bottles of Glenfarclas kicking about. The 105 cask strength, the entry level 10 year old. And there's the oh-so lovely 175 Anniversary edition all beaming proudly on the back bar of the Blake Hotel at the mo. So maybe that's a heads up for a bit of a Glenfarclas family tasting. Well that's certainly what I was thinking when I was out the other night and spotted the 15 Year Old.
I must admit I sometimes forget about Glenfarclas. It's easy to overlook them with so much whisky noise around, but really we shouldn't. For one, they are a family owned business, one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries that still are. And if business provenance is your thing then that's something worth considering when supping your Louie Vuitton Moet Hennessy owned Ardbeg. And two, they consistently make great whisky. No fancy triple wood experiments. No fussy finishes. No pretentious marketing names. Solid and reliable. It's what they've done for generations and it's what they'll continue to do for generations to come. And being a traditionalist is a little bit refreshing when there's so much quasi-innovation around. Of course, none of this would matter if they made bad drams!
Anyway back to the 15 which I had out the other night. In a tumbler it's hard to pin down all the aromas but it's full bodied and inviting. Quite savoury and meaty. There's a oak note and other incense wood, perhaps cedar but I'd have to go back to check that. On the palate there's a reservation of spice, subtle and slowly building. Smooth and delicate and perhaps slightly feminine. It's a way off the brash 105 masculine vibe. It's clean and goes through a through stages with a particularly interesting phase half way that I fail to pin down. There's a raisin and chocolate orange note along with the classic Sherry wood that you come to expect from Glenfarclas. It's a dainty finish, drying with a mere hint of salt. Beautifully balanced and well constructed.
A definite must and one that will be re-evaluated in that Glenfarclas family tasting hopefully sometime soon.
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