Glenfarclas Limited Rare Bottling 21 Years Old 1997

A 21 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, from 1997, at 46%, 6000 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. Its spirit is matured almost wholly in sherry butts brought up from Jerez. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration.

Distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry cask, layered over the full Glenfarclas make. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. 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.

At 46% it is rich, fruity and deep. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.