Glenfarclas The Family Casks 18 Years Old 1998

Glenfarclas from the distillery, an 18 year old, from 1998, cask 1698, at 52.4%, 647 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 spirit is matured almost wholly in sherry butts brought up from Jerez. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. It was fully matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At a natural 52.4% it is full and rich. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.