Glenfarclas 15 Year

Raisin palate with nutty lingering finish. Not a fan of the raisins

Re-tasted at Glenfarclas Distillery, post-tour tasting, 3rd May 2024, whisky# 1 I’ve had this whisky many times over the years, but it has never smelled or tasted as fragrant as it did at the distillery. Glenfarclas new-make has a musky, floral quality that persists into all their whiskies, but sometimes it is very subtle, particularly in the 15 and 105 expressions. I can’t explain this. I don’t believe that whisky does not travel well so maybe it was just the context of being there, or maybe the batch we tried was a particularly good one. Glenfarclas is notoriously inconsistent, particularly this 15 year old. Whatever the reason, I feel I should bump my rating up slightly from the 83/100 that I have consistently given it here since 2017, but I still believe this is a generally over-rated whisky, and the official score here of 91 is too high. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars) ---------------------------------------------------- Glenfarclas tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 4 July 2019. Whisky #2 Nose: Sherry, malt, dark fruitcake, baked raisins, a resinous note. It's a very rich and muscular nose and there's a faint smoke aroma, but it's more like slightly overcooked cake or bread than peat-reek. Palate: A rich, spicy and oak-prominent arrival. Medium-dry sherry, dates, raisins, dark cherries, boiled fruit pudding, orange marmalade, walnuts and Brazil nuts. There's also very slight caraway seed and mint notes, and the texture is big, mouth-watering and almost chewy. Finish: Medium. The palate fades out to a dark fruitcake aftertaste with some resinous, tannic dryness. For me this whisky is less fragrant and immediately approachable than the 12 year old and 17 year old expressions that bracket it in the core-range lineup, and it has always seemed a bit hard and aloof to me, with an overcooked quality. The musky floral aromas that stand out in the younger expressions are still present, but this also has a resinous oak aroma and a dry spiciness on the palate that tend to blanket the lighter tones. It is also one of the most inconsistent malts in the range. The batch last year was very good, but this current one lacked engagement for me. However by any standard it has always been a "good" malt and it is consistently voted the favorite Glanfarclas expression by enthusiasts of the distillery. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) ---------------------------------------------------- [Review from April 30, 2017] Nose: Sherry, spice, raisins, stone fruits, good oak without being too woody, Dundee cake, chocolate and a note of bay leaf and a lightly floral aroma. Palate: The arrival is immediately sherried, but not over-sweet or fruity. As it develops, a spectrum of subtle spice emerges on a malty, bready, cereal foundation. Raisins, sultanas, dates and walnuts – rather like walnut bread, in fact. There’s a light hint of smoke in the background, balanced by a tiny whiff of mint and caraway seed. Finish: Medium/long. Christmas cake flavours that slowly fade away. As with all Glenfarclas, give this time to relax in the glass so it can show its true colours. Their whisky is always a bit reticent straight from the bottle and needs space to breathe. A small dash of water helps this process but again give it time to recompose. Glenfarclas has to be taken at its own pace, which is slow and measured, and if you do so the rewards are great. Rush it and you’re only getting a fraction of the story. This expression is the favourite of the core range for many, but for some reason it has always been the one I least like. There is a hardness to it - an overcooked, almost burnt quality that does not engage me. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)