Origin: Highlands/Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry Oloroso
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added colouring: Yes
Owner: J. & G. Grant
Average price: € 40.00
Official website: www.glenfarclas.com
I recently realised that I have somewhat lost sight of the so-called ‘basic malts’, caught up in the frenzy of tasting the latest limited (and not always special) editions from independent distilleries and bottlers.
I start to remedy this by picking up the youngest of the age-declared single malts from Glenfarclas, the distillery that loves sherry and direct-flame stills.
Part of their portfolio since time immemorial, it has been in its current form since 2007, matured entirely in ex-oloroso sherry casks and reduced to the minimum alcohol content, with all the attendant artifice to make it palatable to most.
Tasting Notes
Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pecans), carob and nutmeg are clearly present in the aromas, supported by a vein between vegetable and metallic. It soon opens up to fruit (apple, pear, unripe melon) and light pastry notes (honey, shortcrust pastry), but it’s the malt that stands out, with a lightness that borders on the fleeting.
A lightness that returns on the palate, with some initial sparkle and, above all, with more sherry tones then the nose. A spicy palate (black pepper, ginger, nutmeg) that soon fades away, accompanied by more pronounced fruit (prune, sultana, baked apple, pear, orange peel), hints of coffee, cocoa and malt, and a predominance of vegetal notes, between tea leaves and cut grass, almost balsamic.
The finish is rather short, dominated by ginger and nutmeg, pear, orange peel and wood.
The youthfulness of the malt, combined with (presumably) heavily used casks, results in a simple drink with some jarring notes, in which the sherry influence is so diluted that it struggles to emerge. As an introductory bottle, it doesn’t do the distillery justice, but the price doesn’t allow for much more.
Vote: 80/100