Glenfarclas 24 Years Old 1969 Cask #67 (Signatory)

Chosen by Signatory Vintage, the Edinburgh house that bottles at Edradour above Pitlochry, this a 24 year old Glenfarclas, distilled in 1969, from cask 67, at 58.2%. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. 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 was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry cask, layered over the full Glenfarclas make. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a natural 58.2% it is full and rich. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.