Glenfarclas The Family Casks 17 Years Old 2005

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 17 year old, from 2005, cask 1030, at 61.3%, 504 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt from Ballindalloch, in the heart of Speyside. It draws on that deep inventory for the Family Casks, single vintages reaching back to the 1950s. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration. Its water rises from the granite of Ben Rinnes, above the distillery at Ballindalloch.

Drawn from a thick, heavy wash, the direct fired stills lending a nutty depth. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At 61.3%, undiluted, it is dark and full. A rich, sherried sweetness, lifted by a sweet oak. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.