Glenfarclas The Family Casks 32 Years Old 1979

This official Glenfarclas, a 32 year old, from 1979, cask 8791, at 52.2%, 210 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt matured almost wholly in sherry casks from Jerez. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth.

At 52.2%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, lifted by a sweet oak. It is full and fruity, the spirit carrying the cask. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is Glenfarclas's deep, fruity Speyside style.