Glenfarclas 15 Years Old (Italy Exclusive)

A 15 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, at 46%. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt, one of the last great family owned distilleries in Scotch. It draws on that deep inventory for the Family Casks, single vintages reaching back to the 1950s. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch.

At an approachable 46% it is soft and fruity. A rich, sherried sweetness, lifted by a sweet oak. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.