This is a limited edition of the well-known Glenfarclas 105. The back label explains that George S Grant used to bottled a cask strength whisky as a Christmas gift for staff and friends in the 1960s, at a time when almost all the whisky available was bottled at 40%. Today’s 12 year-old uses the same strength of 105° British proof. We’ve already tried a Glenfarclas 105 at 60% several years ago.
It is exclusive to Germany, as far as I can tell, but some bottles also made it to Holland and other countries.
Glenfarclas 105 12yo (60%, OB 2025, Oloroso sherry, 4200 btl.)
Nose: a rather low-pitched, caramelly style, with chocolate and roasted nuts but little fruits. Mars bars, some raisins and figs, along with orange peels. Some oak underneath, mainly nutmeg and cinnamon. Although it started in a slightly savoury way with some charred notes underneath, berries and marmalade come out after a while.
Mouth: quite hot when taken neat, I think water is a must. The style of sherry is rather autumnal again, with a leafy side. Good but not spectacular. A lot more toffee notes, praline, walnuts and some orange peels. Then a firm layer of active woody notes too, including pepper, nutmeg and dried herbs. It moves towards mocha, light cocoa and liquorice in the end.
Finish: medium, with mostly the wood spice staying strong.
Some whiskies are perfectly fine at 60% but here the alcohol and oak spice are quite aggressive. Maybe 50-55% would have been better. Overall quite nice, but the sherry profile doesn’t stand out from the crowd and the price seems quite high. I found a sample at Whiskysite.nl