Glenfarclas '105'

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each:

Nose: An immediate waft of sulphur, as if we'd just walked into a room after someone had a lit a match. Sulphur of course being commonly associated with sherry cask finishes, however here it's actually very pleasant. Underneath the sulphur waft we have a thick layer of toffeed lychees and candied nuts, all swimming in a bath of carrot juice. A very complex and intriguing nose. 2.0

Taste: A warm and enveloping aniseed oil, infused with apple and oak. There is a Werther's Original (hard butterscotch candy) feel to it, and as we hold the whisky on the palate for a little longer, there's the distinct flavour of wine-poached pears. Once again very intricate and engaging. 2.0

Finish: There is a health-smoothie quality to the finish, with notes of wheatgrass and carrot juice once again coming through. Some macadamia nuts have been whipped into the smoothie for added weight, and as the finish continues to grow, the toffee notes come back to the fore, leaving us with a long-lasting macadamia nut brittle to savour. 2.0

Balance: This whisky is quite difficult to pin-down and is constantly morphing into something else. When I came back to the glass after being away from it for a few minutes, I nosed it again and it had taken on an uncanny similarity to a warm rice wine or Japanese Sake. Yet ten minutes later when I nosed it again it had changed characteristics completely, and become a bag of sweet popcorn and Italian christmas cake. A cultured and versatile dram, with a huge amount of depth and character. 2.5

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