Glenfarclas 20 Years Old 1997 (SMWS 1.204)

A 20 year old Glenfarclas from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, distilled in 1997, from cask 1.204, at 53.5%, one of 233 bottles. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt matured almost wholly in sherry casks from Jerez. It draws on that deep inventory for the Family Casks, single vintages reaching back to the 1950s. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses.

The spirit was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. A Pedro Ximenez sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At its natural 53.5% it is rich and chewy. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.