Some Glenfarclas for the end of winter


March 13, 2024

Some Glenfarclas for the end of winter

Glenfarclas

Wintry magazine ad, mid-2000s.

For I've always felt that Glenfarclas was a winter malt, but we agree, that hardly makes sense. Let's instead move straight to practical work, beginning with a small trio introduced in Taiwan a few years ago which was supposed to highlight the differences brought by age, specifically one more year each time. Which, we agree, isn't much at all.

Glenfarclas 15 yo 'Trio Selection – Red' (46.3%, OB, 1800 bottles, Taiwan, sherry cask, 2016)

Glenfarclas 13 yo 'Trio Selection – Red' (46.3%, OB, Taiwan, sherry cask, 1800 bottles, 2016)

Colour: gold. Nose: It's a curiously malty sherry with notes of Ovaltine, chicory coffee, dark beer, followed by the expected roasted nuts, but also a thin slice of tarte tatin, and finally hints of bitter almonds, toffee, and slightly burnt caramel. Even a few whiffs of burnt tyre. All of this is not bad at all, this dark beer side without the intervention of dark beer is amusing. There is also more ripe pear after a few minutes. Mouth: I like it, this time it starts directly with the pears, a few green nuts, quite a few bitter almonds, chocolate not any less bitter... In fact, it then becomes increasingly dry and undoubtedly a bit tannic, but we stay within reasonable limits. Finish: long, a bit bitter and woody, even mentholated. Comments: in fact, it's a bit rough, a bit as if they had taken it out of the casks a bit too early for a single purpose... let's say an educational one. It's true that between education and marketing, there's sometimes not much more than a cigarette paper, as they say.
SGP:361 - 84 points.

Glenfarclas 13 yo 'Trio Selection – Blue' (46.3%, OB, Taiwan, sherry cask, 1800 bottles, 2016)

Glenfarclas 14 yo 'Trio Selection – Blue' (46.3%, OB, 1800 bottles, Taiwan, sherry cask, 2016)

Colour: gold. Nose: It is much more polished than the 'Green', with a nod to cakes and brioche, indeed tarte tatin, a roasted aspect again but better integrated, nougat, dried grapes, kougelhopf with its obligatory toasted almonds... It reminds me a bit, if I'm not mistaken, of the very good 25-year-old from the regular range (though it has been a good five years since we last tasted it). A few notes of chicken broth, which is very nice. Mouth: curiously fruitier than the 13, also fuller once more, with cakes, hazelnuts and roasted peanuts, caramel, then marmalade and, once again, a few menthol hints. A return of the Ovaltine follows. Finish: rather long, slightly bitter without excess, with pear and peach skins in the aftertaste, as well as black pepper. Comments: let's be honest, I don't think a single additional year of ageing in a similar cask can make such a difference by itself. Even humans don't change that much in a single year, do they?
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Glenfarclas 14 yo 'Trio Selection – Green' (46.3%, OB, 1800 bottles, Taiwan, sherry cask, 2016)

Glenfarclas 15 yo 'Trio Selection – Green' (46.3%, OB, 1800 bottles, Taiwan, sherry cask, 2016)

Colour: dark gold. Nose: this time there's a greater presence of fermentation notes, cake batter, chestnut purée, very fresh panettone, a tiny bit of old wood, banana cake, walnut wine, and just a hint of camphor... It's quite beautiful and the strength is just perfect, it's powerful but not at all spirity. And above all, it's very much 'Glenfarclas'. Mouth: a drier style again, with black tea, dark tobacco, freshly ground black pepper, coffee beans, very dark chocolate, then liquorice wood and a few waxy notes. Shoe polish (indeed, we've accidentally eaten some in the army, it was even quite a popular joke among the troops). Finish: long, spicier, with cumin, black pepper and clove. Dark chocolate in the aftertaste. Comments: Very good dark chocolate, but my favourite remains the 14-year-old.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Let's taste some of the older ones, if you agree…

Glenfarclas 1995/2023 (49.2%, OB, Family Casks for Royal Mile Whiskies, sherry hogshead, cask #2296, 288 bottles)

Colour: full gold. Nose: a rapid development but very characteristic of Glenfarclas, let me explain. Alright, there's a mineral, basalt-like aspect, almost a bit sulphurous (no worries, we're not talking about cabbage soup here), then cooked fruits of all kinds, apricots, damsons, dried grapes of course, and finally everything more towards molasses, strong-flavoured honey, Middle-Eastern fig wine, pipe tobacco, citrus maceration… Mouth: similar, it's a three-stage malt, first leather and tobacco, then candied or jammy fruits (figs continue to play a major role), and finally chestnut honey and maple syrup. One would swear they've also added a few pitchers of old Demerara rum, maybe to make it a Navy Whisky (S., yeah right…) Finish: long, perfect, spicy, and of course very 'sherry', with lots of nuts and again that mineral side that suggests sulphur but isn't. An asset within this context. Comments: a marvellous cask, absolutely classic. Who is the king of Speyside at the moment? That's up for debate...
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Let's finish with an old Australian Glenfarclas...

Glenfarclas 1973/2003 (59.6%, The Gillies Club, Australia, cask #7988)

The Gillies Club is one of the oldest clubs for slightly fanatical whisky enthusiasts (like you and me, right?) in the world. In fact, our Australian friend and Malt Maniac Craig has always spoken highly of it. So, this is a Glenfarclas that comes straight from Down Under. Colour: gold. Nose: it really resembles one of those old official Glenfarclas bottles with the square shape from the 1970s, which says a lot. There's a lot more chalk, beeswax and other waxes, honeys, great sweet wines (especially German but also Alsatian of course – who said they are similar, who?) and white flowers. Even at such a degree, there is a lot of sweetness. With water: it's the chalk, white flowers, and honey that stand out. This time it's a bit like a superb old white Graves, a bit in the style of Laville/Mission. Please, take a bow. Mouth (neat): magnificent! The same comments apply regarding those old official square bottles. Meads and honeys, small aromatic herbs, flowers, candied citrus fruits, old herbal liqueurs… All of this is quite sublime, even at close to 60% ABV. Perhaps has it lost a few watts since 2003? No complaints, it's a marvellous 'old-school' GF. With water: there it is, it reminds me a bit of the 21 years for Giaccone, especially the versions at a higher degree. Absolute splendours. Finish: long, dazzlingly clear, with superior citrus. Very amusing hints of ham in the aftertaste, but that may be the start of an OBE. Comments: well, how do we go about emigrating to Downunda foreva? I may ask my mates.
SGP:561 - 93 points.

Thanks to The Antelope for having helped us with the age statements in Chinese that we were having wrong.

(Thank you, Deni!)

Check the index of all Glenfarclas we've tasted so far