One more 20th Anniversary release before the festive year is over for The Whisky Exchange. It comes from Glenfarclas distillery and matured in a single Oloroso sherry casks for a quarter of a century, before being bottled at cask strength contrary to the regular 25 Years which I found a tad underpowered.
It is called the London Edition and comes with a special label created by TWE’s design director Raj Chavda, featuring scenes from the hospitality industry.
Glenfarclas 25 yo ‘London Edition’ (50,5%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary 2019, Oloroso sherry casks, 606 btl.)
Nose: natural and elegant whisky, with a firm bready base and plenty of tiny nuances. Orange peel, baked apples, various herbal notes (rosemary for instance) and light menthol. Floral honey. Whiffs of wood polish and just a light leafy, earthy touch.
Mouth: rich, now slightly sweeter and more sherry influenced. Toast with chestnut honey, a little gingerbread and walnut cake. Raisins and (blood) oranges. Moving towards spiced chocolate and hints of espresso. Blackberries and herbal notes again (thyme). Nicely integrated oak.
Finish: long, with sweet spices, chocolate, a little oak char and raisins.
Mature and sophisticated Glenfarclas, an easy gentleman’s dram. The price is fair considering the higher ABV and special packaging. Only available from The Whisky Exchange. They’ve also filled a limited number of official miniatures.
Score: 89/100