Glenfarclas The Family Casks 39 Years Old 1972

Glenfarclas from the distillery, a 39 year old, from 1972, cask 3551, at 44.7%, 565 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt from Ballindalloch, in the heart of Speyside. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses. Its water rises from the granite of Ben Rinnes, above the distillery at Ballindalloch. Its spirit is matured almost wholly in sherry butts brought up from Jerez.

The spirit was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, the direct fired stills lending a nutty depth. An Oloroso sherry cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. 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.

At 44.7%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a richly sherried Speyside single malt.