NV Glenfarclas 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 46%
Community Tasting Note
Soteriologist Likes this wine:
Saturday, February 21, 2015 - Note dated 10/11/2015: Sipping on the last drops of my bottle as I write this. The considerable residual sherry influence, I think, consists mainly in the briny licorice note, the burnt, oxidized connotation (no, that isn't mild peat, it is a note of oxidization which I think comes from the sherry) and its strong dryness in the length. As far as that aspect is concerned, see this video here. Takes a few weeks after opening the bottle to show what it has. Also, this whisky needs adding water. If you do not consider these two points you might be missing out on some of this good stuff's potential.
Note dated 05/22/2015: No, it's not exactly losing against the Bunnahabhain 12, the preference seems to just depend on the mood of the day.
Original note, 02/21/2015: Tasted anew out of my own bottle. I find this extraordinary and a definite notch up from the Balvenie 12 Doublewood.
Uncolored amber. Nose nice, dark and spacey, glue/shoe polish note, butter scotch, marzipan and cinnamon. Palate powerful arrival (hence not a bad idea to add a teaspoon of water) and unsweetened licorice (this would make me recognize it blindly) and/or coca cola. Marvellously integrated burnt (not smoky !) note. In the length oak and a somewhat salty and soapy or even sulfuric note which bothers me a little. I would say that it loses ever so slightly against the Bunnahabhain 12. But the real contender is the Glendronach Revival Aged 15 Years which I herewith declare clearly beats it too. The comparative statements here are based on simultaneous tastings.
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7 comments have been posted
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Comment posted by Tim Heaton:
3/4/2015 4:09:00 PM - nice write up, thanks
Comment posted by Soteriologist:
5/26/2015 3:40:00 PM - Look at the TNs again, the Glenfarclas 15 caught up to the Bunnahabhain 12. I might even like it a little better now, but I guess it's the mood of the day. Cheers !
Comment posted by PSPatrick:
11/25/2016 12:54:00 AM - Interestingly, we made a different experience. We enjoyed the Glenfarclas 15 straight, but found that in our case it lost precision and became bland even with just a few drops of water, and then developed a strong plastic/motor oil-like odor over time.
Comment posted by Soteriologist:
11/25/2016 4:04:00 AM - Different strokes for different folks ! And who knows, there are bottle variations as well. As I recall, the adding of (not much, rougly half a teaspoon of) water made it a little softer on the tongue and helped me focus on the flavors. Otherwise it has this bite on the tongue that I also dislike in Talisker where it is far stronger (which is why I enjoy Talisker only in heavy wine cask maturations such as the Port Ruighe, the Distiller's Edition - and why I am curious about the Dark Storm).
But here the central sentence in this TN is "Takes a few weeks after opening the bottle to show what it has". After I opened the bottle, I wasn't impressed with it at all and would likely have given something like an 89 - 90. It took 2-3 months before I started understanding it. Even so, my 93 here reflects my assessment of objective quality by comparison rather than subjective inclination:
I heard Glenfarclas really works over 20 years old. But after the 105 (the ~ 10 yo cask strength) I had had a bit too much of this licorice signature and this sulfur thingy, and so I am unwilling to do expensive experiments. I think I am not going to buy Glenfarclas again for a long time.
Comment posted by PSPatrick:
11/25/2016 5:09:00 AM - I hear what you are saying. I often find that a whisky tastes best a week or two after the bottle was opened. As for the Glenfarclases, we thought that the 15 was very decent for its price, only in our case without any water or breathing. The 21 and 25, however, left a lasting impression on us. We were not able to decide which we ultimately liked better - the appealing 25 certainly was the better whisky of the two, but it was almost too sweet, round and smooth while the 21 still had a few edges and therefore seemed more interesting. The price differences (roughly € 45 vs 65 vs 95) seem appropriate, so one might argue that the 21 represents the best value of the three.
Comment posted by Soteriologist:
11/25/2016 10:33:00 AM - Sounds really seductive.
Hast Du vielleicht ein leeres Miniaturfläschchen und könntest mir 0,05 l zurücklegen ? Vielleicht treffen wir uns ja mal !
Comment posted by PSPatrick:
11/26/2016 11:05:00 AM - Sicher, gerne. Diese 15 / 21 / 25 YO waren zwar 5cl Miniaturen, ich habe aber noch je eine Flasche 18 YO und 25 YO. Sobald ich sie öffne wird abgefüllt - und beim nächsten Trip nach München eingepackt.