Glenfarclas The Family Casks 16 Years Old 2001

A 16 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, from 2001, cask 3352, at 58.8%, 638 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt from Ballindalloch, in the heart of Speyside. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas.

The spirit was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It was fully matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

Bottled at a cask strength 58.8%, it is deep and concentrated. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.