Glenfarclas The Family Casks 15 Years Old 1995 Cask #3771

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 15 year old, from 1995, cask 3771, at 57.5%, a festival cask. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt drawn from the largest, direct fired stills in Speyside. Its water rises from the granite of Ben Rinnes, above the distillery at Ballindalloch. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for.

It was distilled to a rich, generous cut, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. An Oloroso sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At a natural 57.5% it is full and rich. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is full and fruity, the spirit carrying the cask. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.