Glenfarclas 17 Years Old 2005 (Oloroso)

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 17 year old, from 2005, at 55.7%, a festival cask. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry cask, layered over the full Glenfarclas make. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.7%, it is deep and concentrated. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.