Glenfarclas The Family Casks 24 Years Old 1990

A 24 year old Glenfarclas, a distillery bottling, from 1990, cask 1276, at 48.6%, 535 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt, one of the last great family owned distilleries in Scotch. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. Its whiskies are bottled at their natural colour, without chill filtration.

The spirit was distilled to a rich, generous cut, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. An Oloroso sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into raisin, fig, beeswax and a bittersweet chocolate. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a natural 48.6% it is full and rich. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A dark chocolate and a soft oak give it weight. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.