Whisky of the Month (July 2011): Glenfarclas

Distillery Information (From Malt Madness):

Name: Glenfarclas

Region: Speyside

Founded: 1836

Ownership: J & G Grant (Since 1865)

Address: Ballindalloch, Banffshire

Website: www.glenfarclas.co.uk

On the back of the rather successful and thoroughly enjoyable first ever SGwhisky Whisky of the Month last month, we're back for more with July's whisky of the month, Glenfarclas.


Located in the central Speyside region of Scotland, Glenfarclas distillery's main claim to fame is that it is one of the few remaining family-owned distilleries in the rapidly commercializing world of whisky. The licence to distill for Glenfarclas distillery was given in 1836 to one Robert Hay, and it eventually switched hands to John Grant in 1865, starting the relationship between the Grant family and the distillery, a relationship that has been maintained till this day.

The history of Glenfarclas, however, is anything but rosy. It was one of the distilleries that was right in the centre of the Pattison Crisis at the turn of the 20th century. Johannes from the Malt Maniacs has a great write up on that part of Glenfarclas' history on his Malt Madness blog (for my money one of the best online whisky resources one can find), but to cut a long story short, the Pattison brothers were an infamous pair of businessmen whose less than legal business dealings brought the scotch whisky industry to its knees in the early 1900s. Glenfarclas was one of the distilleries that the Pattison's had a significant stake in, but thankfully for the distillery, the Grant family (who co-owned the distillery at that time) made sure it didn't have to close.

Today, Glenfarclas is a highly traditional Speyside distillery which emphasizes quality in its whisky, and not quantity. It has also chosen to go down the route of strict adherence to traditional whisky production methods and expressions, using only top quality Oloroso Sherry Casks and Bourbon Casks in their maturation. Their expressions hence do not include any special wood finishes that many a distillery are coming up with today, the only 'experimentation' being releasing numerous whiskies with different age statements so that one can see how age affects the maturation of its whisky. Glenfarclas is also famous for its extensive range of vintage releases under the name 'Family Casks', which has garnered critical acclaim from the whisky world. The House Style of Glenfarclas is hence naturally very sherried with rich flavours of fruit, cocoa and coffee, and its older expressions are honestly quite complex stuff!

Glenfarclas in Singapore

In Singapore, Glenfarclas is slowly gaining popularity within the niche market of whisky lovers and enthusiasts Distributed by Spirit of Scotland, it is found in almost every whisky bar in Singapore, including The Auld Alliance, Connoisseur Divan, Fine Spirits @ La Maison Du Whisky, B28 and Quaich Bar. Retailers like Drinks Fellas and La Maison also have a great selection of Glenfarclas whisky, making it a real popular whisky amongst the whisky drinking populous in Singapore.

One of the biggest champions of Glenfarclas though would be The Connoisseur Emporium, who have a great selection of Glenfarclas whiskies that include the 15YO, 25YO, 30YO, 40YO, Glenfarclas 175 and a healthy range of the Family Casks. In June 2011, Glenfarclas' Marketing Executive Ian McWilliam visited Singapore to raise awareness for Glenfarclas whisky and SGwhisky managed to catch up with him for a quick word. The interview between Ian and SGwhisky will be released in conjunction with this month's whisky of the month! Till then, keep your eyes peeled!