Glenfarclas The Family Casks 28 Years Old 1991

This official Glenfarclas, a 28 year old, from 1991, cask 10269, at 52.6%, 196 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a richly sherried Speyside single malt, run by the Grant family since 1865. Its six stills are the largest in Speyside and among the very few still fired directly, now by gas. Its water rises from the granite of Ben Rinnes, above the distillery at Ballindalloch. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. Direct firing chars the wash a little, lending the rich, nutty depth Glenfarclas is known for.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, for a weighty, nutty spirit the sherry then deepens. An Oloroso sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch.

At a hearty 52.6% it carries real weight. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a richly sherried Speyside single malt.