Glenfarclas Single Cask #2032 20 Years Old 2004 (Oloroso)

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 20 year old, from 2004, cask 2032, at 56%, 150 bottles in all. Glenfarclas, the glen of green grass, is a richly sherried Speyside single malt. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas.

The spirit was distilled in copper pot stills, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. It was fully matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At a natural 56% it is full and rich. A deep, dark sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.