Glenfarclas The Family Casks 28 Years Old 1994

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 28 year old, from 1994, cask 4323, at 45.4%, 297 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt matured almost wholly in sherry casks from Jerez. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. 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.

The spirit was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, the direct fired stills lending a nutty depth. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into raisin, fig, beeswax and a bittersweet chocolate. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 45.4%, it is deep and concentrated. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, lifted by a sweet oak. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.