Glenfarclas 21 Years Review

“Black Sheep of the Family”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland/Speyside

Brand: Glenfarclas

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 21 Years

ABV: 43 %

Colour: Deep Amber with notes of Brown and Orange

Nose: Be sure to give this Glenfarclas enough time in the glass before Nosing. It really needs air contact to reveal its Aromas. On the Nose it certainly can't be called a Sherry Bomb. The light Sherry Aromas lead me to believe that mostly Re-Fill casks were used to mature this Malt. The Nose is mostly Sweet with Barley, Buttered Toast, Wax, Dry Earth, Grass, Dried Fruit, Berries, Hazelnuts, 
Nougat, Vanilla, Caramel, Apple, Pear, Nectarine, Peach, Orange Marmalade, Ripe Banana, Grapes, light Oak, Floral Perfume, Heather-Honey, Cocoa Powder, Ginger, Cinnamon, Mint, Chocolate, Espresso and Lemon Pie. You need lots of time and patience to discover the Aromas as most of them are quite subtle. I expected more from a Single Malt that matured for 21 long years. The casks were not very active in my opinion. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. I do not detect significant notes of Sulphur.    

Palate: Oak, Alcohol and Spices are quite present and that's a bit of a surprise after the laid-back Nose. I also find Sweet Barley, Brown Sugar, Christmas Cake with Rum soaked Raisins and Sultanas, Caramel, Berries, Grapes, Bananas, Plums, Orange, Mandarin, Chocolate, Hazelnuts, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves and Heather-Honey. On the Palate and also in the Finish the cask influence is much clearer but it mostly adds Wood and Wood Spices. 

Despite the identified Flavour notes I am not impressed by the complexity and balance of this Glenfarclas.    

Finish: Bitter-Sweet, slightly Sour, Herbal, Spicy and quite Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Malt, Dusty Road, Dried Fruit, Assorted Nuts, Toffee, Oak, Orange, Mandarin, Banana, Espresso, (Lemon) Pepper, Mint, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Vanilla, Herbal Tea, Dark Chocolate and light Licorice.    

I added some Water and on the Nose the Floral notes become stronger. Malt and Orange are also reinforced. On the Palate, the Dark Red Fruit becomes more evident and in the Finish I detect some extra Nutmeg, Cardamom and Cloves. This Glenfarclas allows you to experiment with a little Water. 

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Glenfarclas Distillery was founded in 1836 and has been in the hands of the Grant family for around 150 years now, a rare fact in the Whisky Industry. It is located in Ballindalloch (Banffshire). The 21 Years is part of the Core Range of this Distillery together with the 10, 12, 15, 25, 30 and 40 Years. It matures in mostly Re-Fill Ex-Sherry casks from Spain and costs around 100 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good but below expectations.

Conclusion: The 21 Years is one of the many expressions in the Glenfarclas core distillery range. They all mature in Ex-Sherry casks and many of them present similar Aromas and Flavours. The differences between them are mainly caused

by Age and Wood Management. It's very important therefore to include the Price/Quality ratio in your decision when choosing a Glenfarclas Single Malt. In this respect the 21 Years would not be the best choice in my opinion. The best option is the 15 years that presents the best P/Q ratio. Or you could go for the 25 if you have some spare cash and prefer a more mature Malt. The 21 Years is a bit of a Black Sheep in the Glenfarclas family!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 11, 2016