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Glenfarclas 30 Year Old

24 Days of Christmas: Day 18!

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@SquidgyAshReview by @SquidgyAsh

2nd Feb 2013

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Glenfarclas 30 Year Old
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    92

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

I've saved the best for the last!

Odd little way to start a whisky review, but it's true.

My wife had bought me a whisky advent calender from Master of Malt that was made up of 24 different whiskies, from all over the world, different styles, all the good stuff.

I'd decided to start the calender with whiskies that I'd already had and had reviewed. They got no reviews. Hahaha because that was already done.

Then I moved to entry level whiskies that I'd had, but never reviewed.

Then entry level single malts from distilleries that I'd never tried before.

Then whiskies from distilleries that I never thought I'd ever get to see or try, such as Wasmund's Single Malt.

Moving older and older into cask strengths, older whiskies, whiskies from my favorite distilleries.

Whiskies that I COULDN'T WAIT TO TRY!

This would culminate in the 50 year Master of Malt Speyside.

There are 2 more whiskies to come, not counting this review until I reach that bad boy.

This whisky, one that had me so eager to try as it comes from one of my favorite Speyside distilleries was Glenfarclas 30 year old.

I love the Glenfarclas 10 year, I personally think it's one of the best entry level Speysides, love it to death so when I saw that I had several Glenfarclas samples in the calender I knew I had to save them for the end.

The Glenfarclas 30 year was for me, the beginning of the end.

Pouring a lovely dark amber color that made me smile and just look forward in anticipation of what was to come I just spent a solid 90 minutes nosing the glass and admiring the lovely thick legs that slid down the glass.

It smells like a Christmas pudding, it's so beautiful!

Sweet fruit of sultanas, raisins, figs, and lots of spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla. Oak makes it's presence known as is to be expected of a whisky of this age.

However that's not all!

There's wisps of smoke to the nose, hints of green apple and as the whisky opens up, candied oranges.

Lovely, just absolutely lovely.

This is the kind of nose that intrigues you and invites you to take a sip.

So I do!

The oak makes it's presence known immediately, but it's not over the top. A little bitter, but not unpleasantly so, but it's also sweet and salty. Very odd, but entertaining.

Oak, sultanas, nutty, chocolate and vanilla move back and forth with one another going from sweet, salty and bitter again and again, mainly sweet and salty, but so enjoyable.

A long sweet, soft, silky finish full of candied oranges and chocolate end this whisky.

Wow.

Just wow.

Holy Crap.

Beautiful, so very beautiful.

Makes me SO very eager and excited to know that in just a few months I'll be visiting Glenfarclas and picking up quite a few of their high end whiskies.

Family Cask 1981 here I come!

This whisky is extremely gorgeous. One of those that I feel very lucky to have got a chance to try and even better you can find it for sell in Australia!

However it's not cheap, running at around $300-$350 a bottle depending on where you purchase it. But if your looking for a special occasion bottle, one that would be awesome to share with good friends.

If you ever get a chance to try this whisky I'd strongly suggest you do so. It's beautiful and proof once again why Glenfarclas kicks butt!

Find where to buy Glenfarclas whisky

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4 comments

@systemdown
systemdown commented

It's a fantastic dram indeed, I remember being blown away by it. The only notes I could manage at the time were "Fantastic. Regal oak". So yes, oak is definitely a feature, but in a positive way.

I would like to try this again some time and take some proper tasting notes!

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

@Systemdown I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this dram. Was kinda sad because as I was sitting down for dinner and nosing the whisky there was some sort of disturbance outside and all my furballs went running over to check it out, jostling my whisky holding hand in the process and spilling a sald 1/3 of the dram which needless to say had me a wee bit upset, but nothing to do about it.

However I very well may pick up the 30 yr old or 40 yr old while in Scotland :D And definitely a Family Cask, definitely!

11 years ago 0

R
Rigmorole commented

Hi Squidgy, I was wondering if I might ask your opinion about the 21, 25, and 30 Glenfarclases. Have you tried them all? Which do you like the most?

I have been drinking a great deal of sherry casked whiskies lately. I've yet to try the 30. I have a bottle of the GF21 in my climate controlled safe that I have not opened yet. I tasted it recently at a bar and really enjoyed it.

Lately on Connosr, the 21 is getting higher marks. The 25 has gone down in recent reviews. I know that the 25 is much more sherry influenced than the 21. Which do you like best? That German guy on thewhiskystore on youtube was nice enough to answer my inquiry as to his taste. He recommended that 25 over the 21.

Since I've been drinking so many sherry casks lately, I found the malty sweet goodness of the 21 to be a refreshing respite. Very very smooth and delightful in its own way without quite so much of a sherry influence, which a few months ago I was craving but now, after I have gone through a bottle of the Tobermory 15 and the Glendronach 15 Sherry Cask Revival, I am starting to drift in a different direction--that is, until the sherry bombs call me back eventually. . ..

Thank you for your great review of the 30, Squidgyash. I enjoyed reading it, and I'm sorry that your dram got bumped by the "furballs." I have a basenji and she hates the smell of any alcohol. She won't go near a glass of beer, wine, and especially not whisky! Sometimes I tease her a little and move the glass in her direction. She ducks away and looks up at me with an irritating glare. It's quite hilarious. She is very eye-contact oriented. At any rate, happy tasting, and I hope the furballs do not deprive you of any more precious drops in the future . . . .

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

@rigmorole Thanks for the kind comments about the review!

Sadly I actually haven't got a chance to try very many Glenfarclas yet. At this point it's been the 12 yr old, the 105, the 20 yr old 105 and this 30 year old. The 12, 20 yr old 105 and the 30 yr old blew me away, however the 105 left me very disappointed. That being said I strongly suspect that the 105 was quite oxidized as several other whiskies that my brother in law and I tried that night were lacking luster to the point where I didnt even bother to take much tasting notes on them.

Biggest reason is I've yet to find a bar serving them and they run at around $140 and $180 respectively. I'm REALLY hoping to get a chance to taste them when I'm over in Scotland as I'll be visiting the distillery to pick up some whiskies. When I get a chance to give them a taste I'll let you know what I think though! I'm sorry I'm not of more help my friend.

As for the dogs not liking alcohol my girl, staffy x cattledog is terrified by the smell of alcohol, any kind. I've only had her for a couple of years, by boy who I've had for about 10 years is now so used to it that he'll sometimes give the whisky a nose hahaha.

11 years ago 0