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Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

Sherry from heaven

10 2596

@casualtortureReview by @casualtorture

24th Apr 2017

1

Glenfarclas 15 Year Old
  • Nose
    25
  • Taste
    24
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    24
  • Overall
    96

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

The Glenfarclas 15. No color added, bottled at 46% instead of 43% like most of their standards because apparently that's the way the founder enjoyed it. Bottle is 90% full and has been opened for about 2 weeks to allow for some air time. This is currently not commercially availible in the US.

Nose: Where do I begin? Plums, baked cherries, fruitcake, creamy milk chocolate, blackberries and rasberries, burnt cinnamon, brown sugar, powdered sugar, marzipan and dark grapes. One of the more complex and wonderful aromas I have experienced in my gander into whisky. I smelled this for at least 45min, maybe an hour, before I even tasted it. But finally it's time to move on to a drink...

Palate: Cherries, lots of them. Followed by chocolate, cherry cola (Dr Pepper-ish but more cherry), bitter coca bean, and rasberries. The sweetness is balanced by a slight coffee-like bitterness. The longer you hold this in your mouth the sweeter it gets. It was a fun game trying to get a perfect balance with the sweetness and the bitter coca bean. About 7-8 seconds seems to do the trick for me.

Finish: The finish transitions into a bit more maltyness. Starts with chocolate, cinnamon, and dates, then come baking spices (nutmeg), and some malty nuttiness (pecans and walnuts), finally ending with marzipan and more cherry cola.

Sensory trip: Drinking this I imagine coffee and milk chocolate truffles walking hand in hand through an orchard of plums and cherries, eating marzipan as it snows nutmeg, cinnamon and powdered sugar. This also strongly reminds me of my favorite German dessert, cherry stollen.

Thoughts: What a wonderful whisky! Definately a step up from the 12yo (which is what drove me to try this one). Dear Glenfarclas, please send a few bottles to the USA so I can buy them.

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25 comments

@Victor
Victor commented

You have already reached the summit.

Don't expect the Glenfarclas 17, 21, or 25 to be better than the 15. Now you just have to get you some supply when you return to the Glenfarclas-15-Desert, aka the USA. By mail from the UK, if it is legal where you live is the usual way. We bring ours from Canada.

7 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@Victor you may not find it in Canada

7 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

Yes, @Nozinan, I am very well acquainted with the seasonality and variability of Glenfarclas 15 in Canada. There's that typical short 60 day pre-Christmas LCBO (Ontario 600+ store provincial monopoly to non-Canadians) availability. We've gotten some through the SAQ (Quebec) also. No, Glenfarclas 15 availability is sporadic in Canada, and cannot be counted upon for any particular given time and place.

7 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

Did you hear that, @casualtorture? Bring it home with you from China.

7 years ago 0

@jeanluc
jeanluc commented

I am going to treat myself to bottle Glenfarclas 15 – I haven't had one for ages and I've almost forgotten how much I love it!

7 years ago 2Who liked this?

@nooch
nooch commented

I've had the glenfarclas 15, 21, £5.143, and the 105. 15 was far and away the best of the bunch.

7 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@nooch Tell me more about the £5.143, I haven't tried it.

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

I'm from Bama, where shipping alcohol is illegal. However, I'll likely be going to Nashville when I go back. Not many financial analyst jobs in Alabama and my father lives in Franklin. Tenn does allow shipping to your home. But honestly I'm open to living anywhere. As far as bringing it back, there are 3 people flying so that's 6 bottles! Maybe two Talisker 10s since it's so cheap here and 4 Farclas 15s haha.

7 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@casualtorture Don't forget 57North - you're very lucky to have access.

7 years ago 0

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Nozinan oh yeah...2 by 2 it looks like then. I wonder if I can breed the two bottles when I get back. If only.

7 years ago 0

@CaskTime
CaskTime commented

I agree with @Victor that this is the summit of the core range, certainly up to the 40 y/o

7 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@CaskTime, yes, the Glenfarclas 40 yo is quite outstanding and something truly marvellous to behold.

7 years ago 0

@nooch
nooch commented

@Nozinan it's decent. Tastes like a glenfarclas, but doesn't have the body of the 15yo. A little thin comparatively.

7 years ago 0

@nooch
nooch commented

@Nozinan I mislabelled it £5.14...it's £511. You get the idea though. Still Christmas cake goodness, but I got the 15yo first and have kept trying others to see if they live up to it. My favourite dram over the last 6 months is entirely different. Octomore 7.3. Just unbelievable. Complex. Smooth. Smoky. Savoury. Tremendous.

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@nooch one of the octamores is our highest rated whisky right? still haven't had the pleasure of trying on.

7 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@casualtorture I have enjoyed every octomore I've tried. My favourite so far (with a few more to sample) is, I believe, the 4.1.

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Alexsweden
Alexsweden commented

High praise for a great whisky!

7 years ago 0

@Misty
Misty commented

If you like the 15, then you should really try The Whisky Exchanges Glenfarclas 15yr old 103 proof - if you get the opportunity. It adds another herbal, slightly peated dimension to the classic 15's rich sherry profile. Very nice! I think Ralphy reviewed it at some stage....

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Misty
Misty commented

Of course the feckers have stopped shipping to Ireland after an argument with our wonderful customs and excise department........

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Misty TWE stopped shipping to Ireland? Thats crazy and unfortunate.

7 years ago 0

@Misty
Misty commented

Yes they have. I miss some of the TWE special bottlings, although they are generally less stellar now than they used to be. Sigh, that TWE Glentauchers that they had......

Mind you I don't blame them, it's very challenging dealing with the Irish customs and excise!

7 years ago 0

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Misty Shipping to the US is too expensive. I think two to four 70cl bottles is $100usd to ship and get through customs. So if you order 2 $50 bottles, double your price for shipping.

7 years ago 0

@Nickh
Nickh commented

Glenfarclas is proper old school reasonably priced whisky. Well in the UK anyway. I've tried the 25, 12 and the 105. I'm going to order bottle of the 15 on the strength of this review. The 40 might have have to wait though!

7 years ago 1Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Nickh tell us what you think!

7 years ago 0

@Nickh
Nickh commented

Will do!

7 years ago 0