Glenfarclas The Family Casks 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #2438

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 12 year old, from 2008, cask 2438, at 57.9%, 329 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration. It launched the 105 in 1968, one of the first cask strength single malts sold to the public.

Drawn from a thick, heavy wash, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. It was matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood working deep into the malt. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. 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. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At its natural 57.9% it is rich and chewy. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is Glenfarclas's deep, fruity Speyside style.