Glenfarclas Albannach Dreams 24 Years Old 1989

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 24 year old, from 1989, cask 7849 + 11193, at 56.7%, 487 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a deep, dark Speyside malt of dried fruit, nut and spice. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for. 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, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into raisin, fig, beeswax and a bittersweet chocolate. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At a natural 56.7% it is full and rich. Raisin, chocolate and a warm spice, lifted by a sweet oak. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.