Glenfarclas The Family Casks 54 Years Old 1958

A distillery release of Glenfarclas, a 54 year old, from 1958, cask 2062, at 43.7%, 167 bottles in all. Glenfarclas is a Speyside single malt from Ballindalloch, in the heart of Speyside. Its slow, cool dunnage maturation loses very little to the angels each year. It was licensed in 1836 under Robert Hay and bought in 1865 by John Grant for 511 pounds. It has been run by six generations of the Grant family, one of Scotch whisky's last truly independent houses.

It was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, 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. Maturation runs slow and even in the dunnage warehouses at Ballindalloch. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At its natural 43.7% it is rich and chewy. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.