Glenfarclas The Family Casks 26 Years Old 1988 Cask #434

This official Glenfarclas, a 26 year old, from 1988, cask 434, at 53.4%, 603 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt, one of the last great family owned distilleries in Scotch. Its spirit is matured almost wholly in sherry butts brought up from Jerez. It draws on that deep inventory for the Family Casks, single vintages reaching back to the 1950s.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. It was fully matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer raisin and treacle. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth.

Bottled at a cask strength 53.4%, it is deep and concentrated. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a richly sherried Speyside single malt.