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Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

Complex, well sherried, and mature

0 1693

@DellnolaReview by @Dellnola

25th Sep 2011

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    93

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Nose: A true sherry bomb with loads of butterscotch. The intense sweetness is balanced nicely with some green apples, blackberries, and orange zest. Plenty of rich malt with sherry and spice woven throughout.

Taste: Heavily caramelized sugar, like the kind you find on some sweet BBQ. Maple syrup, rich fruit, a bit of spicy cinnamon. Really rich, deep, and mature.

Finish: Charred oak with plenty of sherry and toffee. A perfect ending.

Wow. This tastes 25 years old not 15. It's certainly a sherry bomb, but I think it has good balance and is very interesting. Go for it if you're thinking about it. If you aren't thinking about, maybe you should.

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16 comments

@sorren
sorren commented

It just does not get better than this !!!!!

12 years ago 0

boardsy commented

This is currently one of my favourite whiskies. I have the 21 year old too but I actually prefer the 15. The extra 3% abv over other glenfarclas offerings goes a long way. It is at a good price point too, I feel you would normally have to pay about half as much again to get this kind of quality.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

I am right with you @boardsy, in loving the Glenfarclas 15. Happily you presumably didn't have to travel to Canada to get a bottle, like I did. It isn't distributed in the USA.

12 years ago 0

@Dellnola
Dellnola commented

I got it from The Whisky Exchange. They've always been consistent.

12 years ago 0

@jeanluc
jeanluc commented

It seems crazy that a brand like Glenfarclas don't have a US distributor. Surely an opportunity for someone there?!

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Jean-Luc, It is only the 15 that is unavailable here among the younger expressions. My guess is that perhaps Glenfarclas does not feel that they have sufficient stock of the Glenfarclas 15 to adequately supply it to the US market. We get plenty of the Glenfarclas 12, 17 and the A'bunadh.

@Dellnola, thank you for the reference to The Whisky Exchange. We have a bit of a problem here in Maryland in that it is a felony crime to accept spirits through the mail. I do occasionally accept shipments of spirits through DC addresses, which is legal.

12 years ago 0

@Dellnola
Dellnola commented

The Sazerac Company here in New Orleans is their importer, however, the 15 year old isn't bottled in a 750 ml bottle.

12 years ago 0

@Dellnola
Dellnola commented

That's a real drag Victor. I haven't really been able to figure out the omission of the 15 year old from the US market. The 17 year old is their de facto substitute. The only thing thing that I could think of is a lack of sufficient stock for the US. Of course the 40 year old is sent here and I can't imagine them having a lot of that stock either, but I guess the price of the 40 year old compared to the 15 keeps it from getting depleted.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Dellnola, I have calculated that all expenses included, if I were to purchase 4 bottles of Glenfarclas 15 through The Whiskey Exchange at one time, total costs would be about the same as buying it at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario-- without the trip to Canada.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

If Glenfarclas wanted to sell it here, they would find 750 ml bottles, as they do with the other products in their line.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Dellnola, it is pretty hard to say how some of these decisions are made.

12 years ago 0

@jeanluc
jeanluc commented

@Victor at those numbers it starts to make it worth while.

Have you thought about starting a whisky buying club with friends where a few of you make a group order and share the shipping costs? That way you could explore the extensive range on offer at retailers like The Whisky Exchange.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@Jean-Luc, all options are entertained!

12 years ago 0

boardsy commented

@Dellnola you mentioned you have the 17 year old on general sale in your area. As a Glenfarclas fan how do you think it compares to the 15?

12 years ago 0

@Dellnola
Dellnola commented

Unfortunately I haven't tried the 17 year old yet, but those that have tried both typically find the 15 to be the superior dram. Of course, those are only opinions.

12 years ago 0

@jwise
jwise commented

I bought two bottles (among a few other selections) via Masters of Malt. I have finished off one bottle, but the other will remained sealed for a while. It is one of my all-time favorite whiskies. I like the 15yr better than the 21yr and 25yr Glenfarclas, and of course MUCH better than the younger expressions available here in the U.S. I haven't yet tried the 17yr, but I hear it is the closest expression to the 15yr, but just not up to par.

12 years ago 0

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