Glenfarclas 1954 Sherry Cask The Family Casks

Glenfarclas 1954 Sherry Cask The Family

• Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Distillery Bottling

70cl / 52.6%

To begin with, The Glenfarclas Family Casks series is a range of vintage casks from one of Speyside’s best distilleries. All but three of the range (1952, 1979 & 1984) are from first fill or refill sherry casks.

Meanwhile, Colour: orangey amber. (I know my colour descriptions are the height of lame) Nose: buttery fudge, chocolate orange, pocked-warmed toffee chews, Werther’s Originals, Dundee cake, glace cherries, buttermints, strawberry candy floss and liquorice. Basically and old fashioned confectionary. With a little time the sugar eventually boils off and you get to things like moss, ferns, sage, damp earth, jasmine and rather clear notes of verbena and wormwood. Really excellent! With water: still hugely fudgey with chocolate eclair, strawberry jam, marzipan and hessian. Glenfarclas 1954 Sherry Cask The Family Casks

Moreover, Mouth: big hearty sherry! Lots of chewy toffee, dark fruits, walnut wine, camphor, cough medicines, old leathery sherry notes, salted caramel and rancio. Hints of white balsamico, black truffle, old leather, toasted pecans, Nutella and some green Chartreuse. With water: more nutty – walnuts again and brazil nuts to be precise – and mint leaf, tea tree oil and lemon peel. Big, emphatic but not overpowering sherry remains throughout. Finish: long, rather sooty and leathery with bitter cocoa, clean rubber and maraschino. Comments: There’s an element of rubber in the finish that I think some people would be put off by, but I find it closer to this ‘natural dirtiness’ rather than an off note. Globally a really excellent sherry bomb I’d say.