Glenfarclas The Family Casks 26 Years Old 1986

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 26 year old, from 1986, cask 4336, at 58.4%, 574 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. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for.

Worked unhurried through the stillhouse, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. It was matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, the wood working deep into the malt. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Active wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At a natural 58.4% it is full and rich. A deep, dark sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is Glenfarclas's deep, fruity Speyside style.