A few weeks ago German reader Sven contacted me about a new Glenfarclas 2015 bottled for the Spirit of Speyside Festival. He asked me about the definition of a Matusalem cask: simply a brand name or also related to the size of the cask?
Matusalem is a brand of sherry produced by González Byass. Until 2012 it could be called Amoroso or sweet Oloroso (with 25% PX added to it), but nowadays it’s technically a Cream sherry. They use a series of biblical names for their oldest wines — Noé, Apóstoles, and Matusalem. All of them are aged well beyond 30 years in a solera system. While common at Dalmore for instance, the cask came to Glenfarclas as a second fill through a broker. Their normal supplier is José y Miguel Martin.
The question about the size of the cask is also interesting. Note that Glefarclas released 803 bottles which equals around 562 litres. Most distilleries claim that a sherry butt only contains around 500 litres. It all depends what you call a ‘standard butt’.
How big is my butt?
Most of the sherry butts in Scotland are export butts (or newly seasoned casks that are based on this). In Spain they are known as Bota de embarque or sometimes Bota chica. They hold 30 arrobas or 500 litres and they are typically made of slightly thinner staves. However, in soleras around Jerez you will mostly find the Bota jerezana or Bota gorda (“fat butt”). In my view this is the classic sherry butt, slightly longer than the transport butts and made with thicker staves. They hold 36 arrobas or 600 litres.
Apart from these common sizes there’s also the Bota bodeguera (567 litres), the Bota de recibo (516 litres) and Bota corta which is commonly known as Puncheon in Scotland (450-500 litres). So if you thought all butts are created equal, think twice.
So a Matusalem cask is a proper ex-bodega cask, with a slightly higher volume, used to mature highly regarded old sherry.
Glenfarclas 10 yo 2015 (61,3%, OB for Spirit of Speyside Festival 2026, Matusalem sherry butt #5950, 803 btl.)
Nose: very malty, with a buttery and bready layer. A lot of toffee and hazelnut cream, along with ripe apples and a shot of latte. Hints of oranges and berries, with a whiff of herbs. A fairly mild sherry influence, slightly leafy. Something reminds me of the dusty smell of a bodega though – that I like.
Mouth: the alcohol is bit of a killjoy. There’s heat, which highlights peppery notes and nutmeg. With water it stays rather neutral, with a lot of malty notes, toffee sweetness (is that the added PX in Matusalem?) and perhaps a little more plain oak than I expected for such an old vessel. If anything it revolves around cocoa notes, a fair dose of baking spice and caramelized nuts.
Finish: not too long, still settling on toffee and spice.
This is a very educational whisky for those who want to understand the differences between an ex-solera sherry cask and those specifically tailored to the whisky industry. Regardless of preferences, it’s clear that the difference is real. The added sweetness and mild influence make it stand out from other Glenfarclas releases. Thanks for the sample, Sven!