The Glenfarclas £511.19s.0d Family Reserve is a special released to celebrate the 150th anniversary of family ownership of the Glenfarclas distillery.
On the 8th of June 1865, John Grant, 1st generation of the Grant family, bought the distillery for the amount of £511.19s.0d. His grandsons, John and George, later formed the company J&G Grant and to this day it remains an independent business and firmly in the hands of the family’s 5th & 6th generation.
The whisky is a vatting of predominantly first fill sherry butts. The age is undisclosed, it’s probably a mix of different vintages.
Along with the release of £511.19s.0d, the distillery celebrated the anniversary by filling 10 sherry butts and 10 sherry hogsheads, ready for the future generations.
Glenfarclas £ 511.19s.0d Family Reserve (43%, OB 2015, 12.000 btl.)
Glenfarclas £ 511.19s.0d Family Reserve (43%, OB 2015, 12.000 btl.)Nose: nicely juicy with loads of honey. Lots of stewed plums and mirabelles, apples and a fresh hint of lime. Apricot jam. Hints of vanilla and golden syrup. There’s some classic sherry, including some nutmeg and milk chocolate, but on a second level. Light hints of strawberry candy as well.
Mouth: soft but not weak. A whole lot drier than expected. Still some honey and golden raisins but also orange marmalade, nutty notes, cinnamon powder and nutmeg. Light toasted oak and a hint of burnt cake. Funny how the palate is more earthy and savoury than the nose suggested.
Finish: long, on oranges, nuts, apples and nutmeg.
This is a fairly light, elegant version of Glenfarclas’ classic sherry bottlings. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of really old casks went in. Around € 100.
Score: 86/100