Country: Scotland
Region: Highland/Speyside
Brand: Glenfarclas
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 46 %
Date: 02/03/2013
Colour: Golden Amber
Nose: Give this dram some time to open up! The Sherry is very present which makes sense as this whisky matured for 15 long years in Sherry Wood. I also get Mineral and Floral tones (Heather, Straw) as well as Caramel/Toffee/Butterscotch, Oak, Malt, Cocoa, Fruitcake with Raisins and Nuts and, unfortunately, some Sulphur. Very light Spices (Cinnamon, Ginger) and hints of Cherries and Honey. It's okay but I had expected more from this Glenfarclas. Sherry and Toffee dominate. It's a bit more complex but slightly less balanced than the Glenfarclas 12.
Palate: Good delivery with Sherry, Creamy Fruitcake with Raisins, Nuts and Citrus Peel, Spice, Cereals, Caramel/Toffee, Rum, Oak, Nuts, Brown Sugar and light Licorice.
Finish: Middle-Long with Nuts, Sherry, Oak, Red Fruit, Mustard, White Pepper and Nutmeg.
I added a bit of water and Blossom, Butter, Honey, Cooked Apples and extra Butterscotch and Caramel make themselves known on the Nose. Palate and Finish do not change too much but become a bit more mellow. This dram certainly accepts some water.
Rating: 84 (out of 100)
Nose: 21 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: The Glenfarclas 15 Years matured in Sherry Wood. It is believed that a lot of the whisky in the 15 is actually older. It costs around 55 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: Sometimes you take a sip and you immediately fall in love with a whisky. That's not the case here for me. Of course it depends a lot whether you like Sherried whiskies. Personally, I love it when the Sweet Sherry enhances the other flavours. But in this case the Sherry dominates the rest and that's not quite to my liking. It's certainly not a bad Sherried Speysider but I would rather recommend Aberlour A' Bunadh Batch 37 CS if you're in to this type of whisky!
Jan van den Ende March 2013
Hello Jan,
ReplyDeletewhat do you think about the alcohol content? For me it has always been a little bit too high. 43 ABV would do better, in my opinion.
If you would like to taste a Glenfarclas, which is not dominated by Sherry, then I would recommend the 21yo. It is more balanced and its 43 ABV makes it easier to drink.
Marcus
I agree with you on the ABV Marcus. Great, I have a miniature of the 21 years so I will review that later on.
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