A wonderfully sherried 15 year old dram from Glenfarclas, boasting oodles of dried fruit notes. It’s bottled at 46% ABV simply because this was the strength that George Grant’s grandfather preferred it at. Happily, this also results in the Speysider boasting a big, juicy, Christmas cake profile. A fabulously complex Scotch while also being easily drinkable.
Intense, powerful sherry. Cream sherry, certainly – Pedro Ximenez? almost… a touch of peppermint? An almost rancio quality to this. Smells older than 15.
Raisins, more sherry, orange peel, walnuts, dates.
Incredibly long, complex, more of the walnuts again.
Water draws out sweetness. This is Christmas cake, not whisky. Simply astonishing.
Faultless sample from MOM, then I bought the gift box edition with miniatures, on opening the bottle I found the cork had a very strong pine to it, which caused issues with the palate of the whisky, I sent the bottle back to Glenfarclas who gave me a replacement bottle, but this again failed to live upto the sample tried originally.
Upon opening this bottle I would highly recommend letting it breathe for at least minutes. With a splash of cool water you get juicy raisins and sweet honey on the nose. In the mouth you get sweet fruit and a mouthful of almonds. The finish is long and very sweet (less peaty). After drinking this I'm afraid I'm spoiled beyond repair and nothing will match the sensation I got when I took my first sip. Literally liquid cracked if there was ever such a thing.
questo è un'ottimo whisky....uno dei migliori della sua categoria
Hi there, although Glenfarclas state 'Highland' on the bottle, it's also very much a Speyside whisky. The Macallan do the exact same thing even though both distilleries lie in the heart of Speyside. 'Highland' and 'Speyside' aren't mutually exclusive, you see. The entire Speyside region lies inside the Highland region, which the Scotch Whisky Regulations define as "comprising that part of Scotland that is north of the line dividing the Highland region from the Lowland region". This map is also useful: <a href="http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/understanding-scotch/whisky-regions-tours/">http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/understanding-scotch/whisky-regions-tours/</a> - The Chaps at Master of Malt
Master of Malts has categorized Glenfarclas as a Speyside but the bottle clearly states it is a Highland Single Malt Whisky. This is also true of the Glenfarclas 25. The 15 year old is an excellent malt with lots of flavor. The sherry cask finish is definitely evident but not overpowering. A fine malt and an excellent value.
