Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength 20 years

@chickenium: Wow, now that's a Whisky I'd like to see - maybe chip in at club (?), as I suspect it will be horrendously expensive. The standard 105 is Au.$24.00 dearer than a'bunadh, so the 20yo. may be out of reach.

@A'bunadhman - chickenium - very interesting indeed! Looks like it's around the 200 pound mark so a little pricey. It certainly would be an experience but I wonder if it's three times as good as the 105 10 year old (bang for buck wise)?

@GlenS: By the time it gets to Australia it will be more like 300GBP. That's Au. $447.50 - Definately one for Whisky Club but I'd be disappointed if I didn't see it at least once. $450 into 9 people = Au.$50.00 each for 2 x 1 1/2 fl.oz. drams. (more or less)! I hope it is less but the standard G/F 105 is Au.$110.00 (on line) more in store so, who knows?

Can't wait to see that. It will certainly be unaffordable here in Quebec. That's for sure.

I definitely think it will be expensive, but Glenfarclas has a history of reasonably pricing their whiskies so I think compared to any equivalent released by another distillery the 'farlcas 105 CS 20 year old will probably be relatively affordable. And yeah...I can't wait for it either!

Looking forward to this one. The "normal" 105 is sold out in Norway but I saw that Whisky Exchange had more in stock so considering the purchase before they're all gone.

@bgadfly will the "normal" 105 really be discontinued?

@drinix Not sure, but I assume so. I don't think they're going to keep several versions of the 105 around. But I cannot say for certain.

@JoeVelo Well considering the regular 25 is around 140$ I have a glimmer of hope that it will stay under 200$.

Also, I would be surprised that they cut a big seller like the regular 105 but anything can happen I guess.

@chickenium I agree with you on both accounts.

Theoretically, if Glenfarclas wanted to discontinue the regular 105 they could always price the CS lower so that it isn't that much more expensive than the regular 105, and in turn would capture a lot of the regular 105 market share because I don't think buyers would find a $20 or $30 price jump that big of a step forward for such a good whisky. I highly doubt that would happen though.

& another thing, how is the 60% ABV. maintained over 20yrs. Supposing the spirit comes from the still at a full 75%ABV. & goes to cask un-diluted (not normal practice), I would imagine that the strength after 20yrs. would be less than 60% ABV? Perhaps someone with a more intimate knowlege of cask management can shed a little light on this perplexing (for me) conundrum.

Is There a 'boffin' in the house?

@A'bunadhman Hmm. The Mortlach 70 years was bottled at natural cask strength of just over 46% ABV - I imagine for 20 years, retaining 60% ABV is perfectly achievable?

@A'bunadhman Strength goes up and down based on the maturation conditions. Glenfarclas have been nurturing these casks to make sure they don't lose too much. Sticking them in the dry corner of the warehouse would help them stay nice and punchy.

In short (and much simplified) - in a damp climate less water evaporates meaning ABV drops; in a dry climate more water evaporates and ABV goes up.

That said, I don't know what weird black magic Glenfarclas have done to keep their whisky at 60% :)

@cowfish: Thanks, that makes sense, however getting the 105 into the bottle at 60% ABV. must be a nightmare - a'bunadh is down, mostly, to just under 60% ABV. in about half that time, with the only manipulation (I'm told) being the choice of casks.

I'm really looking forward to the release of what I'm sure will be a landmark Whisky. For some years I've wondered what a'bunadh might taste like at 18 or 20yrs...I've started saving!

Cheers.

@A'bunadhman - keep an eye out and you may find a Glenfarclas 105 40yo - still at 60% - now that must be magic! It is (was) available in Oz, it was released in 2008. I'm interested in finding out more about the whisky club you mention.

Love the 105. If these guesses at price are spot on it maybe be stretching the budget!

I went to a Glenfarclas tasting in Sydney with Mr Ian McWilliam a few months back, pity this wasn't wheeled out to generate some word of mouth.

@Frost Wound up enjoying a dram of this last December when I picked up a MoM Advent calender. CRACKING WHISKY! Also tried the Glenfarclas 40 yr old 105 while in Scotland. One of the best whiskies ever!

@SquidgyAsh very lucky! I tried the 40yr but not from the 105 range. My only 105 experience is the NAS expression.

@Frost It was a VERY awesome whisky indeed! Was one of many highlights while in Scotland.