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Glenfarclas 40 Year Old

Magical 'farclas

0 894

nReview by @numen

25th Jan 2013

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Overall
    94

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

From a sample from a friend - 46%

I've had a handful of standard Glenfarclas expressions, and a few Family Casks. The standard expressions left me a bit underwhelmed, though the 105 was really good. It didn't have the old, dark sherry character for obvious reasons, so I passed on it because I could get a similar profile and quality elsewhere. The old Family Casks, though, were great - just prone to the usual variability that single cask expressions bring. The last one that I reviewed had one of the most gorgeous noses, but I just disagreed with the palate. With that, I got to try the standard 40 year old, which, though hardly cheap (~$400), is much more affordable than most other OB 40 year old expressions from other distilleries.

Nose: Ah, this is really lovely. Red fruit (berries) are still present, despite the age, along with the usual old 'clean' sherry notes: leather, chocolate, coffee, orange, and some nutmeg. Very elegant. Almost a shame to drink it.

Palate: Dark oranges. A bit of leather, and a perfect amount of wood. Fine coffee drops in a chocolate liqueur. Lip-smackingly good. Maybe some nuts and other earthy notes.

Finish: More on coffee, dry-dark chocolate, orange, and great wood. Really loving this. A-/A.

I got a bottle immediately after tasting it. The only knock that I can think of it is that it's too drinkable, the palate doesn't have the strength that one might want. It's no retiring wall-flower, but it's clearly brought down to 46% and could stand to be a bit higher. All the same, I was dreaming about having more of this for the next week. It's exactly what I imagined the elegant, old, heavily sherried Glenfarclas was supposed to be like.

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8 comments

@RoganFox
RoganFox commented

Nice review. I could not agree more when you say "its almost a shame to drink it", as I felt the exact same way when I had my first dram of this recently. Could have nosed it all night!

11 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

Gorgeous, gorgeous whisky.

11 years ago 0

@tjb
tjb commented

This is good to know, I am planning on buying a bottle to keep for a special occasion. I know immense will power will be required but for the money I wanted to get something to keep for "the perfect moment". How do you rate this against the 30?

11 years ago 0

numen commented

@tjb, I haven't been able to try the 30 yet. It's not readily available in the US, and Master of Malt was out of it at the time for the drinks by the dram. Of the standard Glenfarclas expressions, I've had the 17, 21, 25, 105, and 20 year old 105. This was, by far, the best. It really opened my eyes to how good the distillery can be.

11 years ago 0

@tjb
tjb commented

That is great to hear. Reading reviews and hearing comments in a forum of people you trust is invaluable.

11 years ago 0

brian3i commented

This is my absolute favorite premium whisky. As has already been stated, you almost don't want to drink it, the nose is so good, but to not do so will deprive you of an exquisite taste experience. It's almost like drinking fruitcake. Velvety smooth, fruity and nutty. Yea, you could argue that it lacks any character, but that is one of its strengths. Even many of my non-scotch drinking friends love it. An ideal gift bottle for anyone worthy of the experience.

10 years ago 0

brian3i commented

To add to the above: I also consider it a real bargain, clearly outshining many substantially more expensive whiskies lurking in my cabinet.

10 years ago 0

numen commented

@brian3i, I agree. It's my favorite 'standard' expression of any distillery. It's definitely a premium whisky, and still a bargain by comparison to others of this age and quality. I wouldn't mind drinking this every day (or receiving many gift bottles of it, for that matter).

10 years ago 0

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