cascode
Glenfarclas 10 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
May 2, 2019 (edited January 12, 2021)
Nose: A nicely balanced combination of malt, sherry, good quality oak, dark fruits and restrained smokiness. There are also lemongrass and stone-fruit notes that shine against the darker aromas and these amplify as it rests in the glass.
Palate: The arrival is firm, semi-sweet and malty-cereal in nature, with bitter orange marmalade at the sides. It develops very well with dark honey and subtle menthol and eucalyptus notes emerging together with a little tannic spice. It's full and oily at the beginning but the tight tannins quickly bring a sense of dryness. A raisin note appears towards the finish, and there's a nutty (Brazil nut? walnut?) presence throughout.
Finish: Medium. Fruity (figs and dates) and semi-sweet sherry with a black coffee tang to the aftertaste.
Like all big whiskies this benefits from resting in the glass - give it at least 10 minutes before tasting but nose it all the while - you can't miss how the nose changes and opens over time, becoming distinctly fruitier. Both the nose and palate have the overarching dark (almost burnt) fruitcake character that is common to all Glenfarclas. It's likely a result of the direct-fired stills and is a signature note.
It's amusingly odd that the 8-12 year old Glenfarclas expressions are so often dismissed or overlooked. I think it's partly because the distillery produces a lot of reasonably priced older bottlings and there is an assumption that the less matured ones are somehow poor in comparison. I couldn't disagree more. Also quite a few critics and commentators have remarked on the boldness of the Glenfarclas new-make and how it can take long maturation, but "can take" is not the same as "needs".
The 10 year old Glenfarclas is an assured and dignified malt that probably appeals more to a palate that is familiar with whisky than to the novice. You need to know what to look for, otherwise the character can be elusive or may even seem generic. If your last taste of a "young" Glenfarclas was a while ago at the start of your whisky journey then I'd encourage you to try one again. The only time I ever feel that this whisky is lacking is when it is directly compared with older Glenfarclas expressions in a formal tasting, and they show it up.
"Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)
65.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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@cascode thanks for that. Excellent breakdown of the core lineup helps me decide where to go next, after having tried the 105.
Thanks for the comparison of the whole line @cascode! It sounds like you haven't missed much with the 18 - the reviews seem surprisingly negative
@Scott_E I've been to a formal tasting of the Glenfarclas core range three times, and on every occasion I had the same response. The 8 year old is too young and lacks finish ; the 10 year old is vigorous, fresh and great value ; the 12 is just the same but a little more "mellow" and deeper in the palate ; the 15 is beloved by many but leaves me cold ; the 17 is floral and delicately malty with much more depth than the 12 ; the 21 is like the 17 but both bigger and more subtle ; the 25 is rich, deep and poised ; the 30 is even more so, but a touch too oaky ; the 40 is sumptuous but lacks life. We don't get the 18 year old here so I've never tasted it. Overall themes are maltiness and dark, fruity Christmas-cake flavours. There is always a faint aroma of sandalwood and frankincense, but you "get" it most when doing comparative tastings. It also increases with age. Glenfarclas loves European sherry-cask maturation, and can take heaps of it. All the expressions are value at their price points and I feel you definitely get what you pay for. I don't know why I don't like the 15 so much, but it always seems austere and distant. My picks of the bunch are the 12, 17 and 25 year olds. Oh, and then there's the Family Cask range, which are limited edition single-cask, cask-strength expressions. They can be astonishingly good but the prices are stratospheric, if you can even find them. One last thing - Glenfarclas not only shows a lot of batch variation, the distillery actively embraces it. Don't be surprised if two bottles of the same age statement are noticeably different.
I seen this locally but have been gunshy in purchasing thinking I should just stick with 12 and above (am I better served spending my hard earned pay there?).
@Ctrexman Thank you, sir. This is a much undervalued whisky. Slainte!
Enjoying this tonight and cant agree more with your excellent review. Its not a sherry bomb but it has a purity, a clean malt presence that is wonderful.
@The_Rev there is a $26 difference between the 10 and 12 here.
I'm usually willing to shell out the extra $8-10 for the 12 Year Glenfarclas, but I agree wholeheartedly with your point about the virtues of 8-12 year old bottlings. When it's good quality distillate going into good quality barrels, there is nothing wrong with a single malt in that age range...least of all the VFM factor.
Great review and I couldn’t agree more with the way the middle of the road age bottles get overlooked- I think that’s the highlight of Glenfarclas: they are the safest bet in sherry casked, scotch whisky. Their juice is solid and cheap, but never astounding- at least that’s my experience and $0.02.
@cascode - good insights, thanks!