Glenfarclas Family Reserve #1 19 Years Old 1986

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 19 year old, from 1986, cask 2919, at 49%, 760 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. It draws on that deep inventory for the Family Casks, single vintages reaching back to the 1950s.

Drawn from a thick, heavy wash, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. It was fully matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a hearty 49% it carries real weight. A deep, dark sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.