Glenfarclas 12, 15, 21 and 25 year old

Glenfarclas produce a range of exceptional whiskies which, I think, need a descent “malt mileage” to fully appreciate. As a person’s “malt mileage” grows, a greater ability to peer beyond the sweet sherry notes follows so a whisky that may seem heavily sherried to a beginner may seem sumptuously complex to a taster who has appreciated quite a few whiskies, both sherry cask and non-sherry cask.

Much like my review of the Highland Park core range, I am lucky to have access to the Glenfarclas 105 cask strength and the 12, 15, 21 and 25 year old expressions. I am planning on reviewing the other expressions, especially the 30 year old and 40 year old.

Blind tasting

When I blind tasted the Highland Park range, aged mattered and the fragrance and character of this whisky in my view improved progressively with the age of the whisky. Not so with my blind tasting of Glenfarclas, which produced the following results:

• Glenfarclas 25 Year Old – 90/100
• Glenfarclas 15 Year Old – 87/100
• Glenfarclas 21 Year OId – 77/100
• Glenfarclas 12 Year Old – 77/100

The 25 year old was my favourite, because it has a rich aroma that merges sweet sherry with dense oak that combined with complex earthiness. The 21 year old was quite flat and oak dominated in the sense that it was not pleasing whereas while the 25 year old was quite oak influenced this was pleasing. The 15 year old was fresh, light and sweet with some vibrancy. The 12 year old was, in comparison, quite boring and watery.

You can find my full reviews by clicking on the above names of each whisky.