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.
Full bodied with a nice dose of sherried sweetness, malty tones and peaty flavours. Finish is long lasting, very sherried, sweet, gently smoky, and distinguished. Not my favorite, but good for the price.
Really great 15 year old single malt; it would seem they have an issue with consistency, but I personally have not found this. Of the range, I think the 15 best represents the house style and also the best value for money. A real favourite and a must for lovers of sherried malts. Nose: Strongly assertive sherry characters present from the off. Powerful and richly creamy, with a hint of the candied peel to come. Palate: Mouth-watering richness, like an old fashioned Christmas cake/pudding or a true sticky toffee, due to a nutty quality. Element of sharpness, as if from orange peel, sherried raisins or cranberries; complex but well-balanced. Finish: Long; a sustained feel of nuttiness and highly sherried fruit. A hint of cloves, and the warmth of a Christmas fire that stays with you. As above, water draws out the sweetness, but I feel loses some of the complex sherry notes and embracing wintertime cosiness that makes this a wonderfully nostalgic dram.
The small amount of sulphur in the bottle of this I bought has killed what should of been (and indeed what I was expecting) of this venerable distilery. So disappointed.
Fucking shite
Sulphur on the nose and on the palate. Bad cask?
