Glenfarclas The Family Casks 35 Years Old 1983

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 35 year old, from 1983, cask 28, at 48.8%, 272 bottles in all. Glenfarclas, the glen of green grass, is a richly sherried Speyside single malt. 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.

Distilled in copper pot stills, the direct fired stills lending a nutty depth. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak gentle behind the spirit. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. The cool, slow dunnage ageing loses little to evaporation, the spirit holding its depth. The full bodied spirit takes active sherry wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At 48.8%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Raisin, chocolate and a warm spice, lifted by a sweet oak. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and nut.