Glenfarclas 21 Years Old (New Label)

A 21 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, at 43%. Glenfarclas is a deep, dark Speyside malt of dried fruit, nut and spice. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. It holds some sixty eight thousand casks on site in dunnage warehouses, with stock from every year since 1953.

Drawn from a thick, heavy wash, for the rich, sherried make Glenfarclas is known for. An Oloroso 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. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. 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. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At 43% it is rich, fruity and deep. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.