Geenfarclas is the favourite distillery of Luc Timmermans, a collector from Flanders. I do not think he knows who I am, to be clear. I just have a few 'farclasses and it happens to be the Day of the Flemish Community.
Glenfarclas 41yo 1973/2014 (40.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 186b): nose: Virginia tobacco and sweet onions, melting in butter. Demerara sugar, muscovado sugar, while also a cereal note: Weetabix and draff. It has a whole fruity side to it, with dried apricots, dried mango slices and chewy orange sweets. After the first sip, the nose takes on an orange-peel character, even grapefruit zest appears, with pith not far behind. Mouth: fresh, fruity and herbaceous, it has iron tonic, tarragon and loads of citrus (juicy oranges, tangerines, ripe mandarins), pineapple drops, lemon mint, perhaps pot ale. The second sip is orange and peach nectar, rich, sweet, softly bitter and fruity to the max. The sugar from the nose morphs into caramel flan, perhaps with a drop of tonic (Schweppes), or green tea leaves. Finish: perfectly balanced, it continues the citrus story, with slightly more acidic fruits, this time: pomelo, bergamot, calamansi, rather than orange and tangerine. There is also rose-petal jelly, prickle-pear marmalade, jellied narcissus leaves (don't ask), gelatine, and, once again, the gentle bitterness of tonic water. A soft-wood influence can be felt at the third sip, at last, more mint or resin than sandal wood or ginger. One has to work rather hard, with this one. All the notes are tightly interwoven, and it becomes tricky to identify them. Undoubtedly, it is excellent juice, yet it is difficult to describe it. 9/10 (
Thanks for the sample, Forrest)
Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery 46yo 1967/2013 (53.6%, Langside Distillers Douglas of Drumlanrig for La Boutique du Chemin, Sherry Butt, C#LD10258, 9b): this is one of Hunter Laing's Old & Rare Platinum, re-bottled for La Boutique du Chemin. There have been a few of those, that were given a new livery and a ridiculously low outturn for the Belgian shop. Anyway, the online shop clearly states this is a Glenfarclas; I am sure Hunter Laing are ecstatic about that, seeing what lengths they go to to ensure this is from an undisclosed distillery. Nose: it has almost nothing in common with its predecessor. This one has encaustic, wood varnish, rapeseed oil, pickled reddish onions, pickled radishes, plum wine, sliced pickled ginger, lots of rancio, as becomes very obvious, after a minute. Then, it is a drinks cabinet and something less likely: something sweaty; not quite old gym shoes -- something closer to cheese (halloumi). Elderberry, fermenting away, before being made into a liqueur, wine sauce, marinated skewers, and then a powerful earthiness -- scorched earth and hair balls. Mouth: oomph! This feels wine-y on the tongue! Marinating skewers, sauce grand'veneur, fruit liqueur... and a lot of fruit, full stop, actually: elderberry, blackberry, myrtle, dark cherry all compete for attention. That said, they have to fight off Madeira and Port, which are well bombastic. The palate has a pronounced toasted side too, with distinct aniseed, charred toast and scorched earth, though it falls short of coffee grounds (phew!) Cocoa powder, coconut oil, gun oil. The texture is surprisingly thin, on the other hand. Only the taste is oily. Finish: in line with the above, it has the bitter freshness of aniseed, roasted liquorice root and berries aplenty (even if it goes no further than rancio-y elderberry, this time). Madeira wine, a touch of earth , liquorice allsorts, perhaps new rubber joints, liqueur pralines, almond oil and Brazil-nut skins. It is well made, but less my thing. 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, LM)
Glenfarclas 105 (60%, OB, b. ca 2017): kind people at Master of Malt! I was buying ten samples (including three Mosstowies and three Glenislas) and a bottle, and they sent me this as a freebie. As a former colleague would say: "so cute." Anyway, it is a staple in many drinks cabinets, and used to feature highly on any bang-for-your-buck list. I have never found it noteworthy and have not had it for nigh-on twenty years. Time to confront my prejudice. Nose: "it smells like whisky," as FMcN would say. It smells powerful, with, next to the alcohol, musk, animal skin (wet fox?), cheap wood varnish and baby sick -- butyric, Cavalier66 would call it, posh that he is. Then, suddenly, it turns all green with tomato leaves, laurel leaves, day-old cut grass on a heap, onion seeds, mulch. It swings between green house and hay seamlessly, before coming back to cheap wood varnish, this time with hair balls too (the kind that clog a sink). With water, it smells like a proper supermarket whisky, with cat urine and baby sick. Maybe a drop of orange juice, in the long run, and a pinch of chalk powder, in the back. Mouth: chemical lemonade, a mixture of Dr. Pepper and Fanta. It is also very powerful, peppery, peppermint-y in a Fisherman's Friend sort of way -- fierce. Other than that, it tastes very much like basic whisky, with milk-chocolate cream and wood chunks, cereal (puffed rice, barley husk), and then a gentle, wine-y note. With water, it feels more wine-y, whilst also thinner and fruitier: orange juice and zest make it to the surface, at last. The second wet sip feels chalky. Finish: long, big, it has ginger shavings, cedar wood, cigar boxes, tannins, some milk chocolate, buried under peppermint, crushed bay leaves, cardamom pods. Water dials everything down but the chocolate: it becomes milk chocolate and orange jelly (that would be Jaffa Cake, then, because it is not good enough to be PiM's). To be perfectly honest, it is not particularly pleasant. Not disgusting either; just not very good. That said, I was bracing myself for worse. :-) It is a lot of alcohol for not a lot of money. I do want more of my whisky, though. In any case, it is better with water. 6/10 (
Thanks for the sample, MoM)
Glenfarclas 41yo 1973/2014 (40.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 186b): nose: Virginia tobacco and sweet onions, melting in butter. Demerara sugar, muscovado sugar, while also a cereal note: Weetabix and draff. It has a whole fruity side to it, with dried apricots, dried mango slices and chewy orange sweets. After the first sip, the nose takes on an orange-peel character, even grapefruit zest appears, with pith not far behind. Mouth: fresh, fruity and herbaceous, it has iron tonic, tarragon and loads of citrus (juicy oranges, tangerines, ripe mandarins), pineapple drops, lemon mint, perhaps pot ale. The second sip is orange and peach nectar, rich, sweet, softly bitter and fruity to the max. The sugar from the nose morphs into caramel flan, perhaps with a drop of tonic (Schweppes), or green tea leaves. Finish: perfectly balanced, it continues the citrus story, with slightly more acidic fruits, this time: pomelo, bergamot, calamansi, rather than orange and tangerine. There is also rose-petal jelly, prickle-pear marmalade, jellied narcissus leaves (don't ask), gelatine, and, once again, the gentle bitterness of tonic water. A soft-wood influence can be felt at the third sip, at last, more mint or resin than sandal wood or ginger. One has to work rather hard, with this one. All the notes are tightly interwoven, and it becomes tricky to identify them. Undoubtedly, it is excellent juice, yet it is difficult to describe it. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, Forrest)
Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery 46yo 1967/2013 (53.6%, Langside Distillers Douglas of Drumlanrig for La Boutique du Chemin, Sherry Butt, C#LD10258, 9b): this is one of Hunter Laing's Old & Rare Platinum, re-bottled for La Boutique du Chemin. There have been a few of those, that were given a new livery and a ridiculously low outturn for the Belgian shop. Anyway, the online shop clearly states this is a Glenfarclas; I am sure Hunter Laing are ecstatic about that, seeing what lengths they go to to ensure this is from an undisclosed distillery. Nose: it has almost nothing in common with its predecessor. This one has encaustic, wood varnish, rapeseed oil, pickled reddish onions, pickled radishes, plum wine, sliced pickled ginger, lots of rancio, as becomes very obvious, after a minute. Then, it is a drinks cabinet and something less likely: something sweaty; not quite old gym shoes -- something closer to cheese (halloumi). Elderberry, fermenting away, before being made into a liqueur, wine sauce, marinated skewers, and then a powerful earthiness -- scorched earth and hair balls. Mouth: oomph! This feels wine-y on the tongue! Marinating skewers, sauce grand'veneur, fruit liqueur... and a lot of fruit, full stop, actually: elderberry, blackberry, myrtle, dark cherry all compete for attention. That said, they have to fight off Madeira and Port, which are well bombastic. The palate has a pronounced toasted side too, with distinct aniseed, charred toast and scorched earth, though it falls short of coffee grounds (phew!) Cocoa powder, coconut oil, gun oil. The texture is surprisingly thin, on the other hand. Only the taste is oily. Finish: in line with the above, it has the bitter freshness of aniseed, roasted liquorice root and berries aplenty (even if it goes no further than rancio-y elderberry, this time). Madeira wine, a touch of earth , liquorice allsorts, perhaps new rubber joints, liqueur pralines, almond oil and Brazil-nut skins. It is well made, but less my thing. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, LM)
Glenfarclas 105 (60%, OB, b. ca 2017): kind people at Master of Malt! I was buying ten samples (including three Mosstowies and three Glenislas) and a bottle, and they sent me this as a freebie. As a former colleague would say: "so cute." Anyway, it is a staple in many drinks cabinets, and used to feature highly on any bang-for-your-buck list. I have never found it noteworthy and have not had it for nigh-on twenty years. Time to confront my prejudice. Nose: "it smells like whisky," as FMcN would say. It smells powerful, with, next to the alcohol, musk, animal skin (wet fox?), cheap wood varnish and baby sick -- butyric, Cavalier66 would call it, posh that he is. Then, suddenly, it turns all green with tomato leaves, laurel leaves, day-old cut grass on a heap, onion seeds, mulch. It swings between green house and hay seamlessly, before coming back to cheap wood varnish, this time with hair balls too (the kind that clog a sink). With water, it smells like a proper supermarket whisky, with cat urine and baby sick. Maybe a drop of orange juice, in the long run, and a pinch of chalk powder, in the back. Mouth: chemical lemonade, a mixture of Dr. Pepper and Fanta. It is also very powerful, peppery, peppermint-y in a Fisherman's Friend sort of way -- fierce. Other than that, it tastes very much like basic whisky, with milk-chocolate cream and wood chunks, cereal (puffed rice, barley husk), and then a gentle, wine-y note. With water, it feels more wine-y, whilst also thinner and fruitier: orange juice and zest make it to the surface, at last. The second wet sip feels chalky. Finish: long, big, it has ginger shavings, cedar wood, cigar boxes, tannins, some milk chocolate, buried under peppermint, crushed bay leaves, cardamom pods. Water dials everything down but the chocolate: it becomes milk chocolate and orange jelly (that would be Jaffa Cake, then, because it is not good enough to be PiM's). To be perfectly honest, it is not particularly pleasant. Not disgusting either; just not very good. That said, I was bracing myself for worse. :-) It is a lot of alcohol for not a lot of money. I do want more of my whisky, though. In any case, it is better with water. 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, MoM)
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