Glenfarclas Limited Rare Bottling 15 Years Old 1993

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 15 year old, from 1993, cask see note, at 46%, 3000 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. It launched the 105 in 1968, one of the first cask strength single malts sold to the public. Its spirit is matured almost wholly in sherry butts brought up from Jerez.

Distilled to a rich, generous cut, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. 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. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch.

At 46% it is rich, fruity and deep. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.