Glenfarclas The Family Casks 38 Years Old 1969 Cask #3184

This official Glenfarclas, a 38 year old, from 1969, cask 3184, at 56.2%, 148 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt matured almost wholly in sherry casks from Jerez. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. An Oloroso sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending maple and dried fig as beeswax and old leather linger. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a hearty 56.2% it carries real weight. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.