Glenfarclas 15 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Product of: United Kingdom

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Glenfarclas 15 Year Old comprises of 60% first and second fill oloroso sherry butts with 40% third and fourth fill oloroso sherry butts.

The unusual alcohol strength of the 15 year old bottling of Glenfarclas is down to George S. Grant (1923-2002) the fourth generation of the Grant family to preside over this six generation family owned distillery. Every year he sent his friends and family a bottle of Glenfarclas for Christmas and one year while searching the warehouse for that year’s special Christmas cask he sampled an exceptional 15 year old. At natural strength the cask held enough whisky to fill 200 bottles but he had 230 friends. He was generous but not so generous as to start on a second cask, so he set about testing samples reduced to 43% but the malt’s richness was lost. He then tried 46% and found the malt’s structure maintained while stretching the cask enough to fill all 230 bottles. Since then Glenfarclas has always bottled a 15 year old at 46% alc./vol.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 10/09/2013

Appearance:

Deep golden amber.

Aroma:

Sherry, linseed oil, buttery and butterscotch with peaty notes and faint notes of lavender and pear.

Taste:

Rich sherry, toasty oak, plump raison and burnt raisons with cinnamon and nutmeg spice.

Aftertaste:

Long, slightly burnt sherry fruitcake crust, light smoke.