One of the famous vintage casks from the Glenfarcas Family Casks series  covering the years from 1952 to 1996. Last year the distillery released the 7th series already.

Glenfarclas 32 yo 1978 (46,3%, OB Family Cask VII 2011, refill sherry hogshead #590, 240 btl.)

Nose: a fairly neutral and oak-driven expression. Different kinds of apples (both sweeter and more sourish varieties), a little cider. Crystallized oranges. Some earthy notes as well as herbs and heather. Even horseradish. I’m missing a bit of sweetness and fruitiness here. A Fino cask maybe? Mouth: a little more rounded and sweeter now, but unfortunately still quite naked. Apple flavours. Hints of vanilla and honey. Quite some malty notes. Then the grassiness from the oak grows stronger. Some pepper. A few floral notes. Finish: medium long, sweetened apple juice mixed with some sharpish, earthy elements and plenty of oak juice. Late cocoa in the very end.

A slightly unbalanced expression in my opinion, with a rather sharp malty core and assertive herbs. Not entirely my style. Funnily I’ve said more or less the less same about a Glenfarclas 1977. Anyway this is not why I love Glenfarclas. Around € 400.

Score: 83/100