Glenfarclas 10 Year Old

Sweet warm steady arrival develops a thick smooth light vegetable herbal long slow bitter sweet wooden finish.

I figured that I would probably like Glenfarclas, so I tried their entry level one at the bar for one glass. My memory and notes on it from weeks ago was that it just tasted cheap, almost like a budget blend. No point in going any further.

Glenfarclas is a family run distillery which is currently under the stewardship of the 6th successive generation of the Grant family. The distillery is currently celebrating their 175th anniversary and still employ traditional distillation methods including the use of the largest traditional direct-fired copper pot stills on Speyside.

In the glass is looks like dark golden honey

The nose gives off sweet sherry, orange peel, honey and vanilla.

It is smooth and delivers sherry soaked dried fruit, a smokey sweetness with vanilla and cinnamon.

The finish is medium long, spicy and lightly smokey.

A really nice entry level 10 year old Speyside.

Nose: The first impression is of guava or melons-- the somewhat tropical Speyside fragrances. Then a beautifully balanced aroma, like a salty short-bread crust of a vanilla pear tart, lightly laced with sherry caramel. The tart has been sprinkled with a flowery spice, maybe coriander.

Palate: You might not notice the instant of limey sourness, because it immediately disappears behind the syrupy texture, transitioning into to smooth oak spices (nutmeg) on light fruits... But seconds later the impression turns salty. Salted butter melted over guava slices is my best description; I've never actually eaten that, but now it doesn't seem like a bad idea! If the Scotch is a bit warmer, the salty buttery notes will dominate like hot popcorn, so you will miss some of the flowery complexity.

Finish: The guava/melon comes out a bit more when you exhale. Lingering in the mouth are sweet pear, orange rind, and pleasant (not bitter) oak spices.

Colour is light cream ale. Touch of wood and some caramel and toffee aromas.

Slightly sweet malted barley flavours, short finish that is very sweet finish.

Paired with the haggis, tatties and ... well squash honestly.

Sweet, floral, buttery, very smooth, rounded, and balanced. Obviously put together by someone with great taste and technique.

It doesnt burn whatsoever, the smoothness and the lightness together with its complexity of flavours make for a real Gem. I highly rate this whisky.

Nose: Sweet honey, vanilla, and hint of butter

Taste: You can taste the sherry in this one. Very light cinnamon and fruit

Finish: It seems to linger with some spice and dryness.

This was an excellent introduction for me to Glenfarclas. An Employee at the neighborhood liquor store recommended this to me and I am looking forward to try their other expressions.

The Glenfarclas 10 greets you with light but gradually intensifying oak notes that melt into a much richer suggestion of juicy sultanas, perhaps rounded off by the a faint, sweet liquorice. It's worth investing some time and effort into nosing the glass, as you'll be rewarded with a distinctive orange zest, underlain by a hint of vanilla.

The first contact with the tongue brings back the initial oak scent, but much firmer and stronger than the nose would suggest. The weight of the distillery's large stills and the decade swathed in European oak really make themselves felt, with a muscular wooden body. The finish lingers long, with a doughy quality hiding the faint note of heather. The clear tang of loose-leaf tea puts in an appearance a few seconds later. This is definitely the dram for beside a roaring log fire, or to bring back memories of days hiking in the woods!

This is the very last dram poured from the bottle, which I have had for nearly a year. It was hit pretty hard at first, then I kept it around for so long because I didn't want to see it go. However, it is time to make room in the cabinet, as I have been buying quite a few bottles lately!

The whisky is not dark, but not light either. It is somewhere between sunlight and pale straw I suppose, but I'll call it sunlight just because I have to choose. The ABV on this bottle is 40%, which is a bit underpowered for my usual taste.

Nose: The whisky has a definite sherry influence, and that comes out on top. Pear, dried dates, caramel, honey and vanilla. Very warm and inviting. A bit like a lot of other sherried Speysides to be honest. Shortbread cookies with sugar sprinkles, with just a bit of orange zest.

Body: Light body, somewhat smooth.

Palate: A bit sour in the mouth, slightly spicy. The honey and ripe fruits are gone.

Finish: Lots of orange and citrus fruits on the finish, some spice. Not as much honey and vanilla, but a bit of oak in the end.

Glenfarclas, the fiercely independent distillery in Speyside, won a gold medal in the recent Malt Maniac Awards for their 40 Year Old. While I have not yet had the honor of tasting that one, I do have four others in my cabinet, so let's give those a go, shall we? We'll start with the youngest in the current core range: the 10 Year Old.

The nose is very sweet because of the sherry. Malty with quite a bit of heather, caramel, flowers and some honey. Liquorice, maybe? And a touch of smoke.

The sherry immediately translates into dark fruit on the palate, with bown sugar, quite some spices like ginger and cinnamon and even a touch of salt towards the end. Clearly doesn't need any water (which I would not recommend at this strength). Nice balance, I'd say.

The finish is not particularly long, drying and spicy.

Quite an affordable, nice and flawless Speysider.

This is my first sampling into the Glenfarclas line. Guess I'll work my way up from the bottom.

Nose: Lots of Sherry, Pear, and cereals - Barley and Malt. A very pleasant nose.

Palate: Christmas spices - Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Burnt caramel, dried apricots. A few drops of water really bring out the flavors and intensifies the sweetness and also removes the youthful alcohol bite.

Finish:Long. Bitter spice, oak, a little smoke. Nice.

I was impressed by this dram and find myself going back to it, I don't have a lot of experience with sherried but this compares favorably to The Balvenie Double wood. The other sherried I've had is the A'bunadh which is such a different beast. I look forward to trying others from this line.

Nose: The first aroma that hits the nose is the sherry. It is strong, and as I take successive whiffs of the whisky, the mixture of alcohol and sherry becomes sherry and heather, floral, like a bouquet of assorted flowers. Perhaps some caramel, or maybe that's honey in there... Honestly, I could just sit and sniff this whisky all night. It smells delightful!

Tasted neat:

On the tongue: The whisky hits with a strong sherry flavor on the tongue, mingled with spice, and perhaps something else... What is that? Just a hint of saltiness, perhaps fresh cut grass? Whatever it is, it gives some dimension, some depth to the whisky that makes it stand up.

Finish: Crisp finish. Once the whisky goes down, it stays down. There is a bit of a citrus taste as it goes down the pipe, which lingers a very little bit. The lower ABV is clearly making itself known, as there is not a heavy alcohol taste on the finish.

Opened up with a bit of water:

Soft, sherry, strong floral notes. Definitely more taste on the tongue, giving way to a longer finish. That doesn't really make sense, but the finish is actually longer when cut just a bit.

Remarks: This is not one of my favorite whiskies, but it is very good in its category. I put it up with Aberlour 12yr, and it is definitely better than Glen Garioch. However, for the $39 (I believe) I paid for it, I'd rather have another bottle of Aberlour 12yr (for $34). The Glenfarclas has more spice than the Aberlour, and may have more body, but I think the Aberlour is smoother with just as much flavor. As for Macallan 12yr, the Glenfarclas wins. That's quite an endorsement, as the Mac 12yr is regarded highly for a sherried whisky.

So, for sherried Highland/Speyside whiskies that I've mentioned in this review, I'd rank them: Aberlour 12yr > Glenfarclas 10yr > Macallan 12yr > Glen Garioch.