Glenfarclas The Family Casks 24 Years Old 1982

A 24 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, from 1982, cask 2213, at 58.3%, 258 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. It holds some sixty eight thousand casks on site in dunnage warehouses, with stock from every year since 1953. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for.

It was distilled to a rich, generous cut, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry cask, layered over the full Glenfarclas make. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer raisin and treacle. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At its natural 58.3% it is rich and chewy. Raisin, chocolate and a warm spice, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.