Glenfarclas for the Dark Days of December
Glenfarclas is the ultimate December month whisky, is it not? They have been releasing an incredible amount of fantastic sherried single malt over the decades. Sherry casks do create a flavour that is associated with all the savoury things we devour during the holidays. Famous are the Glenfarclas that actually carry a Christmas setting on the label, and clearly state that we are drinking from the last runs before the holiday closure. Most times, this was around the 23rd or 24th of December. In my early days I would seek out these bottles, because there are numerous examples from the 1980 vintage, which is also the year in which I was born. So, these Christmas bottlings are indeed the most close I can get to my birthdate, since mine falls on the 30th of December. We will taste two from that year, pretentiously putting a few sister casks in a row.
Glenfarclas used to be synonymous with sherry influenced whisky. I learned to drink this delight with their affordable releases, ranging in age from 10 to 50 years old, and the spectacular “105” releases, famously the first commercially available cask strength whisky. But in later years, the pure sherry brilliance seems to disappear a little, like for every other distillery. Sherry casks are hard to come by, and even then it is mostly ‘seasoned casks’. That is not how I started to appreciate it. It is a sign of the times however. Interestingly, we found a Glenfarclas without any sherry influence in the sample drawer. We will use that as a warm up for this Christmas session.
Glenfarclas 2011, 11 years old, bottled at 58,6 % abv by the Whiskydudes
First things first: Distilled on 23 November 2011, this whisky matured until 2 March 2023 in a refill barrel, but was poured into a fresh Kentucky barrel on 13 May 2019 for the final stint. The cask number was 800480 and a precious 79 bottles were the result. Let’s reference Bowie and see what All the Young (Whisky)Dudes present us with.
Upon Sipping: Glenfarclas never really marketed themselves as a Speyside single malt. Quite the contrary, even the bottles always used to state “highland”. When you put your nose in this glass however, there is no denying some provenance. Delicious orchard fruit, pear, apple, also very soft vanilla, and some banana. Without sherry influence, Glenfarclas is a sunny character. I feel that with some water, we might pick up some more.
Wow, taking a sip, there is no missing how sticky and creamy the whisky is. Absolutely wonderful.
The alcohol bite on the finish is a tad over the top for me, but you do get a lot of taste, so the abv is not cloying. All the fruits are noticeable on the palate too, more leaning toward soft and delicate instead of spicy and citrusy. Let us put in some water! Oh yeah, lots more vanilla cream now. When the drops of water settle, the rest of the fruit panorama returns. So yes, a good swimmer. On the palate, this Glenfarclas from a Kentucky cask loses some charm and turns more to straightforward vanilla notes. It is a delicate balance.
Word to the Wise: This is a pure Glenfarclas with a character that we see more and more in their younger official releases. In the end, this is very vanilla forward, but when you play around with the undiluted or modestly trickled whisky, you get a rewarding array of fruits.
Score: 86 points
Glenfarclas 1980, 21 years old, bottled at 54,7 % bv
First things first: This Glenfarclas was distilled on Christmas Eve 1980 and poured into cask #11048 before being bottled on 22 March 2002. This single cask produced 593 bottles for the German market after 21 years of maturation.
Upon Sipping: Yeah, Christmas whisky indeed. This brings back memories of my father and the first time he was making mulled wine. He stood in the kitchen of our little home in the suburbs of a little town, and he showed me the orange with clove just before throwing it in the wine. The smell from this glass of 1980 Glenfarclas is the same. I can talk about cigar leaves and chocolate, but even more, this whisky smells like a real Nordmann tree in the middle of your living room. Like you’ve been hanging ornaments in there all afternoon and now you take a moment to enjoy your work. Maybe even some cinnamon tea, apples; this Glenfarclas is so complex it keeps on giving. Lots of spices that fit well in the December month. On Whiskybase I read some comments about sulphur and dirtiness, but I do not really pick this up. It is edgy, I do admit, which probably keeps an overtly red fruity character at bay, but adds a “dark days of December” mood to this glass.
The taste is almost traditional for a heavy sherry cask. Lots of dark wood, but not really bitter, so very enjoyable. On the finish, this is reversed, more bitterness and hints of all kinds of chocolate, ranging from milky to pure ones. Some wood smoke makes for an ancient feel, like sitting by the fireplace in the 19th Century. I imagine, obviously, since I do not have a DeLorean.
Word to the Wise: The perfect seasonal whisky, that shows all the perks of a truly classic sherry maturation. This expression underlines why the Glenfarclas distillery has a reputation that makes giants bow. And the tasting is not even over yet. On to our finale!
Score: 93 points
Glenfarclas 1980 Port Pipe Edition, 33 years old, bottled at 45,3 % bv
First things first: This Glenfarclas was distilled on Christmas Eve 1980 and poured into casks #11066 and #11072 (port pipes, apparently) before being bottled on 17 December 2014, so one week short of being 34 years old. The cask produced 700 bottles for the German market.
Upon Sipping: Yeah, Christmas whisky indeed. Did I already say that? I drank this particular whisky before, when I visited the Limburg Whisky Fair in Germany and this one was newer than it is today. For 35 euro I took quite a hefty remainder of the bottle back home with me, and finished it with pleasure. Then and now, I am stunned by the fact that these port pipes are not recognisable as such. They have the smell and feel of the sherry cask we tasted in the previous Glenfarclas. The most noticeable difference is an abundant fruitiness. I opened the bottle an hour ago, letting it breathe a little, and still the aroma in the glass keeps on developing every time I return to it. Now we are ready to start this tasting note. If I can find the words, I must say, because the truckload of fruit sauce and spices is almost indescribable.
Raspberry, strawberry, the whole berry family is invited. Yes, interesting, this is like a sherry whisky, but where you find strong hints of tobacco leaves in there (see the previous note), this one takes that element out of the equation. You are left with fruit and nothing but fruit, save for some wood influences of almost 34 years of cask rubbing off on the spirit. My words are barely typed or after taking a sip I have to write down: tobacco leaves. The wood has taken centre stage on the palate, but at the same time this Glenfarclas 1980 remains very lively. There is no denying that the casks gave a lot of colour (not only literally) to the liquid, but it is never over the top.
I put in a splash of water, to see what happens. The smell turns into a strawberry cream filling in a cookie or maybe a KitKat. Also, hints of the sugar free lemonade my daughter used to love in Summer (for my Dutch readers: Slimpie). On the taste, the tobacco leaves have disappeared and made room for praline, hazelnuts and a slight hint of mint. It might lack a bit of complexity at this point, but the Glenfarclas makes up for it with crystal clear and larger than life taste explosion.
Word to the Wise: These are the otherworldly whiskies we search for. So much balance, elegance and every other -ance you can think off. Glenfarclas is unparalleled when it comes to these giants, that remain ever accessible while offering the ride of your life. A deep bow for them!
Score: 93 points
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