Glenfarclas 17 Year

Wow, I’m quite impressed! The nose on this is decadent, and a nice rich mouthfeel without being too sweet. Warmed dark fruit and cloves. This has incredible balance

My score was 1 star for the 25...is the 17 any better? Nose - light berry, vanilla, oak. There's a bit of a nutty character here. Taste - vanilla, cream, oak, warming alcohol (43% so that's nice), and a touch of fruit. I can see this as lightly butter scotchy, where those nutty notes in the nose are coming from perhaps. Edit - straight up buttered toast here! So I'm a bit torn. I came into this brand expecting sherry whisky. This isn't that. It's much more a bourbon barrel, a very well worn bourbon barrel. There might be some sherry casks in here but if the are, they're USED. i like the fruity and perhaps white chocolate notes. It's nice and yeah I like the 17 more than the 25 I think. The 17 is more bourbon cask notes while the 25 is more sherry with berry and fruit notes coming out a bit more. The 17 is more nutty and butter scotch. The 17 is more unique an experience and for me that's a win. It's just more interesting. The 25 is just a bad example of sherry whisky. So scoring this a 1.75. It's not great. It's 100+ bucks. I don't recommend it.

Nutmeg and sweet on the nose. Very easy. Very good. Yet alcoholic.

One of my favorites, smooth and caramelly.

Nose : Orange marmelade and figs are taking all the place, accompanied by a bit of salt. Earth and oak are also present. Taste : Figs are still at their prime, but a little bit sweeter, mainly caramel. An interesting sweet-n-salty mix. Finish : Short finish, sweet and smooth.

Glenfarclas tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 4 July 2019. Whisky #3 Nose: A bouquet of rich, sweet aromas – brown sugar, musky cherries, raisins, candied orange peel, sherry and light buttery caramel. There are also darker notes of dried fruit and nuts that prevent the nose from seeming overly perfumed, despite a quite hefty vanilla fragrance. It’s an alluring nose that treads a fine line between being voluptuous and overblown. There is a faint smoky note on the dry glass but it’s not peat-reek. Palate: Sweet malt and spice arrival that gives way to a development redolent of red berries and stewed fruits, roasted chestnuts, milk chocolate and aromatic baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and caraway). The texture is warm, rounded and supple with a satisfying creaminess. There is also a striking marzipan presence, the nuttiness of which is balanced by a mature but sprightly oak note that gives structure and dignity to what would otherwise be an over-sweet palate. Finish: Medium/long. Soothing chocolate malted milk and a sweet earthy aftertaste with a hint of tannin. The 17 year old has some foundation similarities to the 15, the texture being similarly chewy and mouth-coating, however this is an altogether softer and more fragrant dram. It recalls some facets of the 12 year old, which is also quite fragrant, but the nose here is richer and heavier – in comparison the nose of the 12 year old can seem a little candyish. This expression was originally introduced in Japan in a bid to combat grey-market imports of 15 year old Glenfarclas. It proved to be extremely popular, which is not unusual as it's soft, perfume-like fragrance is reminiscent of mizunara cask maturation. It was later distributed more widely, becoming part of the core range for most markets. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)