Glenfarclas 12 Year Old

Thanks for posting this review. It's important that when there are bad bottles orexpressions people are made aware. It could potentially save someone from buying a bad bottle that they cannot return.

It is good to hear about the failures too. Thanks for your review, @OdysseusUnbound.

We understand you get no pleasure from writing a review such as this. However, as has been stated elsewhere, bad bottles happen for a variety of reasons and that is just something we must accept as we explore the world of whisky. I hope you get to experience an awesome bottle of Glenfarclas sometime in the future.

@Hewie 2 things.

I don't believe we ought to "accept" bad bottles as a cost of "doing business". We should hold the makers to a higher standard. If it sucks, they should pay, not us.

I got a lot of pleasure writing my Lambertus review...

I didn’t enjoy writing this. As sarcastic and cheeky as I can be, I want to be optimistic about whisky. I want to give producers the benefit of the doubt. But as much as I tried to look on the bright side of this, it was just bad. Really bad.

@Hewie, when I, when some of us here at Connosr get together for another epic session, a bottle of the elusive Glenfarclas 15 YO will be available for @OdysseusUnbound to enjoy.

@OdysseusUnbound Surprising you didn't hear back from the company. From everything I've heard of this family -owned company they put a lot of emphasis on quality.

@paddockjudge I suspect that will bring him back into the 'Farclas fold.

@BlueNote, it is after all a family distillery.

I thoroughly enjoyed both the 12 and 15yo. Wonder what happened to this one.

@casualtorture Me too. I've had several bottles of the 12 over the years and they have all been good. Just a rare bad bottle I imagine. And as @Victor said, it could have nothing to do with the distillery, but possibly the result of poor handling or storage at the retail level.

Brutal.

That "old basement" part actually sounds nice.

I suspect it's not.

@MadSingleMalt No. Not very nice at all.

@OdysseusUnbound , you gonna post a juiced-up version of this one on your blog?

@MadSingleMalt I don't want to be too negative on my blog, so I'm not sure yet. Probably not. At least not until I get a response from Glenfarclas. What is a reasonable amount of time to wait for an answer? A week? Two weeks?

A day in the outbox for every year in the cask.

@OdysseusUnbound I think 2 weeks, then a follow-up, maybe to mention you are waiting for their response before posting your review on your blog...

@Nozinan I got a response today from a man who works for the company that imports/sells Farclas to the LCBO. It was a fairly standard “sorry about that, this has never happened in the history of Glenfarclas, can I help you buy another bottle.” No explanation, but maybe they don’t have one.

It's possible. Good that they offered to replace the bottle.

Maybe you can get them to buy you a bottle even though you returned the other one...

It does make good sense, even if it costs them, because if their product is good it will rebuild your confidence.

@OdysseusUnbound that sounds a bit ambiguous - are they offering to find you one for you to pay for or to replace yours at no cost?

@Hewie It’s already returned. Here’s an excerpt from what they sent me.

Once that is done, we would be very pleased to assist you in obtaining another bottle which I am sure will be in perfect condition. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do to assist you with this. If you have any difficulties at the LCBO (which you should not - they are very good about handling such returns), please do let me know and we will do whatever possible to help out. There is ample stock of 12 year old in Ontario at the moment but if a bottle is not handy to your location, perhaps we can assist with that as well.

It sounds to me like they want me to buy another one.

@OdysseusUnbound Question: "Can I help you buy another bottle." Answer: " No, a--hole, you can give me another bottle."

@BlueNote If only I was that bold.

@OdysseusUnbound if only...

@OdysseusUnbound, I have experienced poor corks on my bottles of G'farclas 15 and 17. A few years back (I think it was 2014) I purchased 4 bottles each of Glenfarclas 15YO and Glenfarclas 17 YO. The corks have been snapping in the neck of the bottle. The last breakage experienced was at my daughter's wedding rehearsal party. @talexander was there to see the carnage that had preceded his arrival. We got through it by opening half-a-dozen different bottles of happy juice, but something like that is enough to drive a man to drink! Perhaps the distributor or carrier have a less than perfect system for safe guarding the integrity of these bottles and their contents...THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY THE LCBO COULD BE IMPROPERLY MANAGING WHISKY STOCKS. We all know that storing bottles in a horizontal fashion ...I'm wasting data...I've seen hundreds of unopened whisky bottles stored on their side in multiple LCBO stores. Whenever I suggest it might be best practice to stand the bottle upright, I'm on the receiving end of either a lazer sharp death stare or the casual shoulder shrug and IDGAF frown. I installed central air five years ago to ensure that my lovely bride could enjoy creature comforts in her own home; a bi-product of this is climate control for my stash...WIN/WIN!!

Food for thought...invite the rep to drop by and join a group of whisky lovers as they reassess the likelihood of continuing with a planned Glenfarclas vertical tasting session.

@paddockjudge how do I score an invite to The Glenfarclas Redemption Tasting?

@paddockjudge I am curious about the differences between the 15 and 17 in 2014. My guess would be that the 17 was better as I didn't like the 15 from 2013 to 2015 and I didn't taste the 2016 for that reason. My point is that the 15 and 17 are very close and you should choose the batch over the expression. I remember drinking a fantastic 15 from 2011 or 2012 and that 2 years later the 17 was fantastic as well and very close to that 15. Did you have the same experience?

@Robert99, I have no doubts that it is possible to get a bad bottle of Glenfarclas 15 yo, just as it is possible to get a bad bottle of any whisky. So far, though, you and Jim Murray are the only two people I have read who have reported on bad bottles of Glenfarclas 15 yo. I haven't yet opened up that bottle of Glenfarclas 15 yo that you brought me from Quebec. I certainly hope that it is not cursed because it came from the SAQ.

@Victor I am not saying that my bottle was bad the way the bottle of @OdysseusUnbound was. What I found is a bottle where the alcohol is dominating covering the nice flavors of the sherry that are still there.

Perhaps Glenfarclas heard the rumblings here at Connosr. The Glenfarclas rep replied to my email and was disappointed that my local KGBO did not have a replacement bottle of Farclas 12. He has offered to personally deliver a replacement bottle into my hot little hands. I graciously accepted and will undoubtedly write a follow-up review.

@Robert99 The 17 is generally considered to be inferior to the 15. I have only had the 17 once and have since passed up many opportunities to buy it again. I never pass up an opportunity to buy the 15 if the price is right.

Ouch! Hopefully he delivers a stellar bottle and soon!!

@OdysseusUnbound Complimentary I presume.

@BlueNote I’m hoping he’s not personally delivering a bottle and expecting me to pay him for it. Let me re-check the email.

I am very sorry that the LCBO store you visited did not have a replacement bottle for you and I am especially concerned that you have been deprived the opportunity to taste this great whisky, in good condition. So - if you agree, (and to correct this regrettable situation) I would like to deliver a bottle to you. I actually live in (name redacted) and do travel through Barrie on a fairly regular basis. If you would like to send me a delivery address and contact telephone number, I would be very pleased to stop by with the bottle - of course I will contact you first to confirm the date and time.

Doesn’t sound like he’s expecting me to pay him for it. Ian has actually been quite prompt and courteous. I’m willing to remain optimistic.

@OdysseusUnbound Yes, it sounds like he's doing his best to make you happy.

@OdysseusUnbound , I imagine a man of your tact and sophistication can find a way to discretely ask him what sort of financial obligation you might expect from his welcome visit.

@MadSingleMalt I don't think he should. The agent is not licensed to sell liquor as retail, so he can only give it to him fore free.

@Nozinan you don't think "who" should "what"?

@MadSingleMalt I don't think @OdysseusUnbound should bring up the subject of money. He should just accept the bottle and say thank you. If the subject of payment comes up he should just hand the bottle back to the rep and politely mention that he assumed the faulty bottle would be replaced at no cost.

@BlueNote Agreed. The agent is not allowed to sell to individuals, just to LCBO. I can't imagine it anyway. The distillery is trying to rescue a future client.

@BlueNote You hit the nail on the head. If payment were to come up, the ambassador/importer/agent would be told (politely) to take a walk.

@OdysseusUnbound I can't see that happening. But I wouldn't be surprised if the bottle came with some swag, like a special glass or something.

I also mentioned, in my original email, that I’d talked to many people in many whisky discussion groups and that Glenfarclas seems to have a stellar reputation, so I’m at a loss as to how this happened. I may be an insignificant drop in the bucket (or cask as it were), but word of mouth is a powerful thing. The people running these businesses are much smarter than I am, I’m sure they understand it’s cheaper to get me a new bottle, even at a loss, than it is to risk having a potentially belligerent person criticizing their brand all over the Interwebz.

Yeah, well, prostitutes aren't supposed to accept money for sex either, but it's still a good idea to clarify expectations before you bring her home. :)

@Robert99, I find the 2014 batch of G'farclas 15 YO an enjoyable dram. The 17 YO is, to me, a much different animal than the 15YO. I find the slightly younger version to be bright and sharp while Gf 17 is better rounded. The term "entry level" is often used when discussing the merits of young and affordable whisky; I tend to shy away from this term. I would definitely consider Gf 17 to be an introductory level single malt. It is elegant, delicious, and somewhat affordable. I can't think of a better introduction.

@BlueNote I know that it is the general opinion but my experience is closer to the one of @paddockjudge .

@paddockjudge I totally agree with you. The 17 is more rounded and I would add that the fruits are less vibrant. But they both have the same kind of finish and in both the sherry cask is the main act, at least for me. Another point is that I may have jump over the 2014 and taste more than once another year or I may have got a sample from a lesser bottle. As it is often the case, we had similar experience.

The plot thickens. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Personally I would assume the bottle and possible gift to be just that, a gift..

@ - paddockjudge

I had a similar issue with my first Glenfarclas 12. The cork top came off and left a brittle, dry cork inside. I contacted Master of Malts, who I bought it from, and after sending some pictures they offered to replace it if I sent the original back to them.

As it happens I was buying a few from them at that time and so they offered to send me a replacement in that order, free of charge, and said I could dispose of the original bottle as best I saw fit.

So, I, er, drank it and it was good :) (once I'd sieved all the bits of cork out)

@RianC Sometimes it's cheaper for the seller to just send another...

I also got a bad cork on a bottle of 'farclas 12. Quality issues?

@OdysseusUnbound, any news on the replacement bottle yet?

@MadSingleMalt I’ve texted back and forth with the guy, but we haven’t found a date that works for both of us yet. He has the bottle in his possession, so hopefully it won’t be much longer.