Glenfarclas The Family Casks 21 Years Old 1993

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 21 year old, from 1993, cask 1614, at 59.1%, 530 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 six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, giving a deep, full bodied Speyside spirit. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry cask, layered over the full Glenfarclas make. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At 59.1%, undiluted, it is dark and full. 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. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.