Glenfarclas 17 Years Old (New Label)

A 17 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, at 43%. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt, one of the last great family owned distilleries in Scotch. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration.

Distilled to a rich, generous cut, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. 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 full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At 43% it is rich, fruity and deep. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, lifted by a sweet oak. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.