Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength

By Barry Bradford on July 19, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength

glenfarclas-105-whisky — Image courtesy of Master of Malt

What they say

A great whisky holding all of the flavours of all the Glenfarclas in one glass. Don’t be afraid of the strength and order a 210, if you dare! The smoothness makes the 105 drinkable at cask strength, but I would suggest adding a little water, to fully explore its’ great depth.

Official tasting notes:

Colour: Deep peaty-gold
Nose: Complex, oaky, apples & pears and a tempting dark toffee sweetness.
Dry and assertive, develops quickly to reveal a rich spiciness, combined with a hint of oak and sherried fruit.
Finish: Amazingly smooth for the strength, wonderful warming with a lingering spiciness, yet very rounded.

What I say

Re-sampled during the Drinks by the Dram Sherry Monsters Tasting 15th April 2020. A pleasure to revisit this real classic Glenfarclas. The last time I sampled this I fixated on the cask provenance – note this is still not quoted as being Sherry cask matured. Nowadays I’m less bothered about casks and more about quality and continuity.

Details

ABV 60%
Age NAS
Bottler J & G Grant
Bottling Official
Cask Ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry
Category Single Malt Whisky
Cost £45-£50
Origin Glenfarclas distillery
Outturn Undisclosed
Region Speyside
Released 2020
Vintage Undisclosed

My tasting notes

Appearance Australian Muscat (12/20), oily, medium tears and tapered legs.
Nose Creamy, honey, sherried fruits a little spicy fizz like sherbet, sticky fizzy sweets, cherry, raisin, earthy chocolate and hazelnut, old sweet shop, dried plums, polished countertop oak and slightly floral too/pot pourri.
Taste Fruity and spicy/spirity, dried fruits, raisin, bramble, dried apple and mango, slightly leathery, plenty of cinnamon fizz, tannic oak and freshly grated nutmeg. With water more spice, oak and a hint of cardboard.
Finish Long, vaporous/reflux, honeyed sweetness, nuts and fruit, some earthy chocolate returns.
Overall A great intro to NAS, Cask Strength and Glenfarclas. I can safely say this 105 from Glenfarclas still sets and maintains a high standard. For a family-owned business like Glenfarclas it makes sense for them to do this right and keep doing it right. A great value-for-money, cask strength sherried, quality introductory dram from Glenfarclas.