Glenfarclas (Ex-Bourbon)

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, at 60%. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds.

The spirit was distilled to a rich, generous cut, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. With no age statement, vanillin reads as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over the rich, fruity spirit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years.

At a natural 60% it is full and rich. A rich, sherried sweetness, lifted by a sweet oak. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is Glenfarclas's deep, fruity Speyside style.