The Glenfarclas 30 Year Old, the oldest release in the core range until it was overtaken by the 40 Year Old in 2010.
This comes from the ‘180 years of production’ edition released in 2016 but I don’t think the liquid inside is different, it’s just the box designed as an homage to the iconic red doors of the Glenfarclas warehouse.
Glenfarclas 30 yo
(43%, OB +/- 2017)
Nose: a green apple / lemon sherbet tartness at first, as well as some pine wood notes and orange peels. Fruity Christmas cake. Whiffs of cognac. Eucalyptus. Later also nectarines, currants and almonds.
Mouth: a bit of a weak start but it picks up strength. Bursts of berries and oranges, greengages, tinned peaches, again with a slightly sour undertone of old wood. Fruit tea with a dollop of honey. Dried apple. Late malty notes, evolving towards vanilla latte and spices like cinnamon and ginger.
Finish: not too long, on spicy wood and fruit tea. Quickly getting thinner.
Elegant, slightly shy whisky. There’s a good sense of age as well as freshness but it lacks some of the sherry notes you would expect from Glenfarclas, and some of the fruits you’d expect from bourbon wood for as well. Very good but not a stunner. Available from Master of Malt for instance.
Score: 88/100