Re-tasted at Glenfarclas Distillery, post-tour tasting, 3rd May 2024, whisky# 2 The 105 expression is a very consistent whisky. I jotted down a few notes on the day of the tour but I know this whisky very well and comparing what I wrote with my previous review below there is nothing new to add. My rating remains the same. One useful piece of information I picked up from our tour guide (a retired Glenfarclas warehouse manager) is that 105 is a vatting of 8, 9 and 10 year old sherry casks with the majority being 10 years old. The casks are a mixture of first-fill and refill, with the majority being second fill. There is no bourbon cask maturation. ---------------------------------------------- Glenfarclas tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 4 July 2019. Whisky #5 Nose: Strong aromas of sherry, toffee, roasted nuts, malt, ale, pumpernickel, dark honey, leather, orange marmalade, marzipan, liquorice, caramel, coffee, dark fruit cake, glace cherries and vanilla. Water develops spice aromas and broadens the nose. For a high-strength whisky there is surprisingly little alcohol apparent. Palate: Potent, sweet malt with drying alcohol. Highly sherried but also peppery and dry, the arrival swamps the palate and takes a moment to subside. Once it does, brown sugar and spice notes come through on the development along with a lot of nutty flavours (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts), dark boiled Christmas pudding, rum, brandy, dates and candied figs. It takes water extremely well and this softens it excellently. Diluted down to under 50% abv it remains a powerful dram but citrus, black cherry and bittersweet cacao notes that were previously obscured can now emerge. Finish: Medium/long. Dark chocolate, coffee, preserved fruit and malt. The aftertaste is sweet but with a little dry tannin. The original high-strength, core-range, single malt NAS. 105 is a bold and hugely flavourful whisky but it’s not what I’d call a sherry-bomb. It’s more a leathery, bready malt-bomb. This expression has presence, reserve and dignity, but in comparison to the 25 year old (and arguably any of the age statement expressions right down to the 12 year old) you could argue that it has less complexity. It can be taken neat, in fact many people will only drink it this way, but for my taste it needs water and I always take it diluted down to around 45% abv. Not only does this tone down the alcohol presence it also brings out many subtle nuances that are otherwise obscured. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)