Glenfarclas 40 Year

Nose: Sweet, strong sherry, and chocolate orange peel floods the senses. Some notes of cinnamon and clove are also apparent. Palate: The sherry, cinnamon, and clove are very apparent initially. It fades and the sherry sweetness comes into the mix. Some oaky smoke mixes with the citrus as you move into the finish. Finish: A lot more sherry sweetness and dark chocolate and orange peel bitterness.

Nose: A big, old oloroso sherry note, nutty oak aromas and dark cocoa dominate the initial nose. Next, dark fruits (figs, dates, plums), raisins, pineapple chunks and oranges emerge, simmering in a broth of resinous honey, brown sugar and sweet malt extract spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and buttery vanilla that comes in waves. A heavy, dusky floral note emerges later and there is a whiff of leathery smoke and black coffee on the dry glass. Palate: A wonderful arrival, creamy and soft to start with and highlighting sweet honey, sugars, mint and baking spices (allspice, caraway) with a touch of white pepper. Oak and dark chocolate appear quickly afterward along with figs and roasted nuts as the palate turns momentarily tannic and dry. However this is followed in turn by a wave of sweeter tones featuring citrus fruit, ginger, cherries, raspberries and a return of the oloroso sherry. The fruity tones are not like the heavy stewed fruits found in the palate of the 25 or 30 year old expressions, but a combination of dark dried and fresh fruits - like a platter of oranges, dark cherries and dried muscatel grapes. The texture is oily, but drying, with a rancio quality and a hint of walnut oil. Finish: Medium/long. Dark fruits and sherry fade to an aftertaste of sweet spicy ginger, white pepper, oaky tannins and espresso. A wonderful old malt that exemplifies the Glenfarclas profile, from its lustrous mahogany colour (unsullied by the taint of artificial colouring) to its lingering sweet/dry oaky finish. I chose this for my 500th review on Distiller as it is an iconic malt that I have never previously tasted, but which is available widely at a comparatively very reasonable price. The whisky was tasted as the finale of a flight of Glenfarclas expressions, comprising the 10, 12, 17, 25 and 40 year olds that I shared with two whisky mates who dropped over for an afternoon of cards and drams a few weekends ago. The only criticism we had of the 40, and we all felt this, was that the finish was a touch short. However this was only apparent as it was tasted following the 25 year old, which has remarkable length. In comparison to almost anything else the finish on this 40 year old would seem very good. All Glenfarclas whiskies require time in the glass before they reveal themselves fully but nowhere is this more so than with this magisterial old malt. I poured the drams and left them to stand covered, and as this whisky was tasted at the end of the flight it had about an hour or more to compose itself. Even so, when its time came the whisky was still just barely beginning to open. The weather was cold and drizzling (it's winter here in Australia right now) so we nursed the glasses in our hands to gently warm then while we sat at the dining table, chatting about all things whisky and occasionally pausing to listen to the rain in companionable silence as we sniffed our drams. After about 20 minutes we noticed the spirit starting to reveal itself, and then spent another half hour dissecting and discussing the whisky's merits, and enjoying its warm glow. A stately, refined and dignified whisky that was a special delight to taste, the pleasure which it provided being eclipsed only by the comradeship of my good friends Warwick and Anthony (KT66 here on Distiller) in whose estimable company I was privileged to enjoy it. "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars)

The day gets even better!

2010 bottling, my notes read: "sweet, perfume, potpourri, flowery as fuck. what is this?"