My Glenfarclas journey continues with this cask strength 28 year old that was aged from 1990 to 2018. The nose starts with an alcoholic blast of sherry grape mustiness, chocolate covered raisins, then orange peel, honeysuckle, apricot jam leading to freshly baked Cinnabon rolls with vanilla maple cream cheese frosting, then spices of ginger, cloves, chestnuts, leather and old polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The tastes is a viscous mouthfeel starting with a rich sherry caramel over chocolate covered raisins, then orange peel infused cream cheese frosting over Cinnabon rolls, honey dew, apricots then it descends into a bitter and spice flavor assortment with grapefruit pith, ginger, cloves, chestnuts, and black pepper with a high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sherry notes of chocolate covered raisins, cloves, chestnuts, grapefruit pith, leather and bitter old oak. This is a strong whisky, one that I probably should have put some water in to tone down, but my heavy hand usually overdoes it to create water with whisky flavors. It has many of the flavors of the 25, but also some of the bitterness of the 17 with grapefruit pith, oak bitterness and high octane alcohol burn coming in mid palate that overpowers the rest of the dram. This isn’t as balanced and masterful as the 25, it’s not as bitter as the 17, but right in the middle ground of the two. Big thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the taste and let me know if water unlocks the flavors on this one.