Glenfarclas is back on WF, with all due fanfare


October 29, 2025

Glenfarclas is back on WF, with all due fanfare

I believe it had been over two years since we last tasted an official Glenfarclas, for reasons far too long-winded to go into here. Perhaps we're just a little too sensitive? But you see, the delightful Debbie won us over, and here we are again! No, no, we won’t say another word, not even under torture, but let’s start with a little aperitif...

Glenfarclas 8 yo (40%, OB, Pure Malt, Saccone & Speed London, 75cl, +/-1980)

One can see why the SWA eventually felt compelled to tidy up the nomenclature around vatted and pure malts, what with some 'blended' rather cheekily calling themselves 'pure', indeed. This handsome bottle was part of a tasting session put on by Whisky.Auction and led by the ever-knowledgeable Dr Nick Morgan. Colour: full gold. Nose: heavily on the toffee, a proper mix of sherry and paxarette, with maple syrup aplenty, then leaning towards earthy and metallic tones that may well betray a touch of good old OBE. Mouth: rich considering the modest strength, full of sultanas and toffee again, yet showing freshness from fruits such as fully ripe figs, and even dried ones. By the way, let us not forget that the fig is not truly some fruit, but rather a casing that holds thousands of tiny flowers. But let us not wander off... Finish: medium in length, mellower and richer still. Comments: the standard was high in those days, although do bear in mind a good OBE might have lent a helping hand here.
SGP:641 - 88 points.

Glenfarclas 2014/2025 'Easter Edition' (46%, OB, Germany, sherry casks, 3000 bottles)

Hurrah, we’ve managed to taste this Easter edition before Christmas for once. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a rather oily GF yet also livelier and fruitier on the nose, with a fairly moderate sherry influence, somewhat reminiscent of the older 15-year-old, if that rings any bells. It goes on with hints of gas and truffle that might be a touch less thrilling, but on the other hand the florals do appear as well, especially dandelion. And herbal teas... Mouth: a slightly sulphury side to start, then tarte tatin and orange liqueur, tobacco, a touch of caramel... Finish: fairly long, still lightly sulphured. Comments: there are some wonderful facets here, but also these faintly rustic notes that call to mind brake pads and an old, poorly ventilated underground car park. Pretty likeable, though a little tricky to pin down...
SGP:551 - 81 points.

Glenlitigious 12 yo 2012/2025 (50%, Decadent Drinks, Decadent Drams, 2nd fill sherry hogshead, 218 bottles)

The label is quite hilarious! The 12-year-old from 2024 had been excellent (WF 88). Colour: pale gold. Nose: beautiful malt with a sherry presence that’s discreet yet clearly there, sitting in perfect balance between Mars bars, walnut liqueur and chestnut honey. One might call it the epitome of a traditional young own-family Speysider, though perhaps without venturing far enough to invite legal correspondence. With water: triple sec and tobacco appear, both in gentle moderation. Mouth (neat): orange chocolate and English breakfast tea. Very good indeed. With water: still lovely, this time with a touch of sweet chestnut purée and vanilla. Finish: fairly long, superbly balanced and highly convincing on the maltiness front. Comments: why aren’t all official 12-year-old Speyside malts this good? I see no reason not to award it the same score as last year.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Glenfarclas 11 yo 2011/2023 (56.5%, North Star Spirits, oloroso sherry butt, 402 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: all in on fudge, salted butter caramel, marshmallow and cappuccino, if not a certain Frappuccino ™ from you-know-where. A drop of coffee liqueur à la Kahlua ™ or Tia Maria ™. With water: a faint smoky touch (exhaust fumes) that suits us perfectly, this might well be a malt for petrolheads. A light gingery note as well. Mouth (neat): this is really good, still very much on coffee and its many permutations, then orange zest and countless roasted hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts. Feels very close to an official bottling, if you ask me. With water: it turns a tad more herbaceous and spicier, which is hardly unusual in official expressions either. Finish: long, more on bitterness now, but in a most pleasing way. Comments: very good, I find this one closer to official standards than the official we started this wee session with.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Speaking of which...

Glenfarclas 12 yo '105' (60%, OB, Germany exclusive, sherry, 4,200 bottles, 2025)

Our German neighbours have always had a soft spot for Glenfarclas, and as far back as I can recall, there have always been plenty of limited editions just for that fine country. Sadly, we don’t have a recent ‘standard’ version of the 105 to hand—we would have liked to compare. Colour: amber. Nose: honestly, take the ‘North Star’, dial it up a few notches, and there you are. Archetypal stuff. With water: same again. Mouth (neat): really very good, classically styled, with just a faint note of geranium and violet slipping in here. With water: still excellent, malty, chocolatey and full of toasted walnuts and hazelnuts. Finish: long, a bit more on cinnamon, ginger and, above all, nutmeg. Orange blossom and liquorice in the aftertaste. Still excellent. Comments: pure Glenfarclas.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Glenfarclas 20 yo 2004/2024 (56%, OB for Tiffany's New York Bar Hong Kong and OBE Whisky, refill sherry hogshead, cask #2032, 108 bottles)

Colour: amber. Nose: another textbook Glenfarclas, though this one leans a little more towards varnishes and wax polishes, which we naturally adore. The rest splits itself between walnuts, roasted peanuts, chestnut honey, prunes and milk chocolate. Very hard to fault at this stage. Mind you, that’s hardly the goal. With water: still ultra-classic, though now it takes on more earthy tones, cigars, and even a few touches of juniper and cumin sneaking in. You may as well add a few drops of the fine spirits those talented folk up north in Europe are producing using those ingredients. Mouth (neat): rather oily, opening on orange zest and ginger slices dipped in chocolate, the sort of treats you’d enjoy with a good coffee. Just like this GF, without doubt. It then heads straight for absolutely pure dark chocolate, with just a peppery trace or two. With water: it’s the floral notes that lift the whole affair to new heights, truly lovely. An irresistible peony note emerges here, it gains several points at this stage, not that such things matter, of course. Finish: long, fresh, and surprisingly more complex. And here come the oranges! A beautiful finale, Springsteen-style (what?). Comments: a proper cinematic experience; I'm sure if we gave it another quarter of an hour, it’d reach 90.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

We were planning to stop there for our rekindling with Glenfarclas, but since it's going so well, we might as well throw a few more into the mix, alright?

Glenfarclas 'Passion' (46%, OB, sherry casks, 6,000 bottles, 2014)

An older edition, but you see, it’s always a pleasure to spot George Grant on a label... Colour: gold. Nose: light sherry, jelly babies, dandelion and mullein syrup, fresh malt, sugarcane syrup. Seems like a rather playful version, definitely a departure from the usual paths. Mouth: really good, not overly complex, malty, unfolding on baked apple drizzled with honey and cinnamon, then chicory coffee and a few fresh mint leaves. Finish: pleasant, not very long, on twigs and fruit peelings. Comments: to be honest this wasn’t the most majestic of all the GFs, but as the saying goes, it did the job.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

Glenfarclas 2012/2024 'Vintage' (46%, OB, Trinity Vintage Series, sherry)

From oloroso casks sourced from the bodega José y Miguel Martín in the heart of Jerez. Colour: gold. Nose: a classic sherry profile, though leaning a touch more towards soy sauce, umami, Bovril and that whole family of things, though in moderation, we wouldn’t quite call it ‘savoury’. The rest is on chocolate, caramel and malt. Mouth: very close to the ‘Passion’, though with more pronounced sherry influence. Oranges, walnuts, raisins, candied cherry, vanilla and dried pear... Not a thing to complain about, this is really very good. Finish: fairly long, a little more on honey. Fir honey, cinnamon, clove. Comments: really very good, in a classic style that’s not fallen out of fashion. Well, not here at WF at any rate.
SGP:551 - 83 points.

Let’s head back, then, to the Far Eastern independents…

Speyside 21 yo (55.3%, Oxhead Whisky, oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #4593, 195 bottles, 2024)

Nothing here suggests this couldn’t be Glenfarclas. Colour: gold. Nose: back to a classic profile, with millionaire’s shortbread, maple syrup, baked apple and roasted chestnuts. In short, very much in season. With water: dark ales, farmhouse cider, black bread. Mouth (neat): on the palate the spices speak first—green walnut, ginger, pepper... All in all, quite herbal and spicy, a little astringent, and no doubt in need of a splash of water to open up. With water: it does round off, bringing herbal liqueurs and lemon zest into play. The spices remain firmly in charge though. Finish: long and a touch drying. Comments: overall very good, just perhaps a tad austere and herbal for a Glenfarclas of this fine age.
SGP:461 - 84 points.

How about inviting an older edition? Even if it risks blowing this little reconciliation session to pieces? Hey, this is WF, is it not?

Glenfarclas-Glenlivet 15 yo (57 G.L., OB, All Malt Unblended, Pinerolo for Edward Giaccone, 75cl, early 1970s)

Eduardo ‘Baffo’ Giaccone, of course... The good man did, after all, select some of the most fabulous versions of our favourite malts, from Clynelish to... Glenfarclas. Colour: gold. Nose: Houston!... Mandarins, basalt, beeswax, first rainwater, late-season wild mushrooms, honeysuckle and old Meursault. Must we really add anything more? With water: utterly sublime, evoking all the great white wines from the finest vintages of the last century. Nothing further to say. Mouth (neat): absolute beauty, minty firmness, sultanas de la muerte and venerable Italian and French liqueurs. We shan’t list them all, shall we? With water: tiny animal touches emerge, mutton fat, hams, salamis, suet, dried meats, marrow quenelles, and assorted Japanese and Chinese ‘things’. Forgive this ultra-condensed version of our impressions, but we’ve decided to moderate our use of maltoporn. Temporarily... Finish: rather long and sublimely saline, full of all the greatest broths of creation. Comments: that’ll do nicely; this bottle is near impossible to find anyway.
SGP:562 - 93 points.

Hold on, before we wrap up, we’ve got a last-minute surprise guest: a little neighbour who really impressed us at Whisky Live Hamburg. It might not be the time or place to taste it, but there you go, we reckon it won’t waver in the slightest, even after that magnificent old gem from Glenfarclas…

Ballindalloch 2016/2024 (60.8%, OB, for Germany, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #4, 265 bottles)

It’s starting to get a bit embarrassing, one gets the feeling our dear German friends are snapping up everything good coming out of the townlet of Ballindalloch. We might have to start keeping an eye on Cragganmore while we’re at it. Just kidding, of course... Colour: Nose: white wine. Nose: candied mandarins and pistachio oil, plus still-warm buttery croissants straight from the oven, all beneath a faultlessly clean line, accurate down to the micron. With water: a medley of rustic breads of every imaginable sort, no exceptions, with traces of vanilla pod and a faint hint of geranium potting soil—much loved in Alsace. Mouth (neat): barley, orange, lemon, wax, coriander seeds. Why overcomplicate things... With water: breads and dried fruits, mainly citrus, arranged by some divine entity. Finish: long, slightly more peppery, but wonderful all the same. Comments: a bit of a ‘Daftmill but a little further north’ vibe, if you see what I mean. You feel the original ingredients resonating through and through.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

We’d already tasted Ballindalloch before, but we probably hadn’t quite summoned the energy to really get to the heart of it. Admittedly, there are literally thousands of new malt distilleries around the world these days, but this one feels like serious stuff. Right then, see you soon... As for Glenfarclas, we’ll be back next year, cross our hearts. In any case, thank goodness for Debbie. Isn't whisky mainly, or perhaps only about people?

PS: note that a few independent bottlers have occasionally used the name 'Ballindalloch' for some more or less secret Glenfarclas bottlings, but this has nothing to do with the recent Ballindalloch distillery, from which we've just tasted a superb example.

(Merci to Thierry and The golden Promise)

Check the index of all Glenfarclas we've tasted