Glenfarclas is one of the last family owned distilleries. It has been owned (in some shape or form) by the Grant family since 1865. That’s some real history right there. The distillery was built in 1836. As a family owned distillery, Glenfarclas has a degree of freedom that very few distilleries enjoy. Lack of short sighted pressures from investors has resulted in a good number of older casks. Some of which have been bottled as part of the Family Casks releases. Glenfarclas was also the distillery which began the single cask adventures of Phillip “Pip” Hills that eventually led to the creation of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Distillery: Glenfarclas

Age: 17 Years Old

ABV: 43%

Price: ~£90 (£63.95 from Royal Mile Whiskies)

TheMadVatter

Nose

Really in your face mixture of red fruits, caramel and slight bit of pears. A bit of black cherries. Maybe cherry cordials. It’s quite strong and bold and reminds be of the Spirit of Freedom 30 year old blend. Smells a lot stronger than a 43% whisky. Has a hint of the pink rubber erasers (the ones on the ends of old style pencils).

Taste

Fruity with malty biscuits. Cherry cough syrup. Again with the cordials. A bit like Ginjinha. A bit of tang on the high end with woody bitterness and slight tannins. Tingly.

Finish

A bit of tang with European oak and tannins. Some old sherry essence. Those tannins really last.

Rating

8

Afterthoughts

I think the really neat thing about this whisky is how strong it tastes despite being on 43%. It just feels like a bold whisky. It also has a youthfulness to it that I was not expecting from a 17 year old. I think this would go really well with dessert. I can see it pairing well with tiramisu or a flour-less chocolate cake.