Glenfarclas 15 Years Old ~ 46% (Glenfarclas Distillery)

• 46% ABV,
• £46.95
• Score: 84/100

What they say:

Colour: A rich golden amber.

Nose: Complex, sherried, deliciously peated, light butterscotch aromas, with a hint of dried fruit.

Flavour: Full bodied with super balance of sherried sweetness, malty tones and peaty flavours.

Finish: Long lasting, gloriously sherried, sweet, gently smoky, and distinguished.

Comment: With greater complexity than our younger whiskies, this is a great whisky drinker’s whisky.

We bottle this at 46% simply because my grandfather preferred it at this strength. It’s still a family favourite.

In his 2007 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray gave Glenfarclas 15 Years Old a score of 95/100, one of the highest scores he has awarded.

What I say:

Dram #3 from our WOLS tasting 14/1 Tour of the Regions. This Glenfarclas 15 years old was chosen to represent the Speyside region, and more specifically the heavily-sherried whiskies it produces

Colour:

Amber with red highlights

Nose:

Tannic leather, dusty old books, sweet heather honey and toffee/caramel, dried fruits, fruit cake mix, sultanas and raisins, orange oil or zest

Taste:

Smooth and silky in mouthfeel, this had sweet honeyed syrup, sweet fruits, damson, dates, fig, raisins and cereal barley malt, with a little orange essence

Finish:

Medium, sweet leathery sherry

Would I buy it again:

Sadly for me I had expected much more from this dram, I love a good sherry bomb but this seemed incredibly safe. Just enough sherry influence as to leave you no doubt but not enough to make my toes curl. I found this expression incredibly reserved, well balanced, etc. (a bit blah actually).  Perhaps tamed for the more occasional drinker, this has lots of complexity but pushes no boundaries.