A very lovely trio of Glenfarclas


October 16, 2026

A very lovely trio of Glenfarclas

The distillery has been presenting its new ‘190’ at several festivals this autumn, with the vivacious Debbie at the helm. So, success was more or less assured…

Glenfarclas ‘190 Anniversary’ (90° proof, OB, 15,000 bottles, 2026)

We rather like seeing the strength given as ‘90° proof’, whether it’s legal or not. To tell the truth, we’d rather it weren’t, we are French after all, but they probably know what they’re doing in Ballindalloch. Anyway, that’s 51.4% vol. Colour: golden amber. Nose: very cheerful, almost light, with walnut wine, slightly diluted amontillado, an old-fashioned orange cordial recipe and pipe tobacco in an old waxed tobacco pouch. With water: a walnut cake for twelve hungry people. Mouth (neat): very good, very much in keeping with the nose, with an added touch of calvados, or apples at any rate. With water: they’ve got this assemblage absolutely right, with a slightly earthy tobacco note that’s not unfamiliar in GF, followed by those walnuts again. In the end, the 90° proof works very well (ha). Finish: quite long, dry, with lovely bitter notes, malt, walnuts and bitter ale. Comments: I’m very taken with this celebratory concoction, I shall check its price forthwith.
SGP:361 - 88 points.

Glenfarclas 1979/2014 (50.8%, OB, Family Casks for Bow Bar & Shinanoya, Japan, hogshead, cask #8801, 212 bottles)

We should remember that Japan’s whisky bars have been on top of the world for a very long time. Colour: gold. Nose: the bright, precise side of Glenfarclas, indeed there have been official ‘square bottle’ releases in this style in the past. A beautiful combination of camphor, beeswax, apples, peppermint, eucalyptus and toasted sesame oil. With water: much the same, water is unnecessary. Mouth (neat): superb ‘secondary’ tension, dried flowers and dried fruits, all led by a perfectly balanced combination of green walnuts and lemon. The waxy side then comes through, much to our delight. With water: once again, water changes nothing apart from bringing out the lemon a little more. Lemon marmalade. Finish: much the same. Comments: this is quite beautiful and, forgive me, I find an ‘umami’ side to it that can only be a figment of my imagination.
SGP:451 - 90 points.

Right, let’s go back even further in time for the last one…

Glenfarclas 1965/2005 (48.5%, Scott’s Selection)

Here we have an old independently bottled Glenfarclas of approximately forty years of age. In short, a youngster… Colour: gold. Nose: waxes, hessian, mandarin peel, peach and apple skins, then a few touches of fennel and wormwood. Quite understated, very elegant, a little reserved, but this resistance to modernity can only be charming. Others would immediately have subjected it to some more or less brutal re-racking. Mouth: refined, admittedly a little bitter and herbaceous, but it all works, even if it tends to dive towards… the turf, almost like a rugby player. Finish: there are some lovely aspects, but overall it’s a little short on fruit. Comments: perhaps this lovely cask had already crossed the ‘maturity pass’ two or four years earlier. But it’s still very beautiful, of course.
SGP:361 - 85 points.

(Merci, KC !)

Check the index of all Glenfarclas we've tasted