Glenfarclas 40 Years Old Scottish Classic (Festival Bottling)

A 40 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, at 43%, a festival cask. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. It launched the 105 in 1968, one of the first cask strength single malts sold to the public. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses.

The spirit was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It was matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood working deep into the malt. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded and full. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.