Glenfarclas 21 Years Old (Festival Bottling)

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 21 year old, a festival bottling. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. Its water rises from the granite of Ben Rinnes, above the distillery at Ballindalloch. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds.

The spirit was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, for the rich, sherried make Glenfarclas is known for. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending a creamy vanilla. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth.

The palate is deep and dark. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, lifted by a sweet oak. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.