Whisky of the Month (July 2011): Glenfarclas 15 & An Independent Glenfarclas

And so here we are at the end of another month of heavy dramming and happy blogging. This month's whisky of the month segment has been a bit lacking in structure, but we've got there in the end, and to sum end off the whisky of the month segment for July 2011, SGwhisky would like to highlight two great little drams from Glenfarclas, one being their entry level 15YO and the other being an independent bottling!

Glenfarclas has always consistently produced great whisky, and it is no surprise that regardless if you go for an entry level expression or a big old monster, more often than not you will get something good. So let's end off this July segment of whisky of the month with a really interesting pair.

Name: Glenfarclas 15YO
Distillery: Glenfarclas (Speyside)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 15YO
Alc/Vol: 46%


Although Glenfarclas does have a 12YO expression, the 15YO seems to be the entry level expression of choice for most Glenfarclas retailers here. Having said that, it is not even considered an entry level malt by some, with many swearing by it. It is a highly drinkable expression, and one worth having a try of!

Nose: Fruity, winey and oaky notes on the nose with notes of grapes, ripe plums and blackcurrent pastilles. The woody notes are of dry and clean smelling wood (no varnish). Slightly nuttiness (22)


Taste/Palate: Sweet and spicy entry with honey, malty, cinnamon and muted pepper. The mid palate is buttery and creamy with notes of dark coffee, cocoa and some light cream cheese (22)


Finish: Slightly salty and quite nutty. Some burnt nut notes and an interesting burnt butter note (21)


Overall: A real understated dram. Refined and good stuff, pity it is quite pricey! (21) 86/100


Found at: Duty Free Singapore, Auld Alliance, La Maison Du Whisky, Connoisseur Emporium, Quaich Bar, Connoisseur Divan, Drinks Fellas

The Glenfarclas 40YO Official bottling by the distillery blew me away when I drank it. Even though I may have succumbed to that bit of grade inflation, it is still an amazing dram all round. Let's see how this independent bottling measures up.

Just an interesting side note though: Glenfarclas is one of the few distilleries that jealously guard their brand name when it comes to independent bottlings. This means that the name Glenfarclas cannot be printed on the labels of independent expressions of their whisky. As such, you can spot Glenfarclas whiskies under interesting names alluding to a 'Great Speyside Distillery'. In the case of this Douglas Laing expression, it is named 'Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery'. Don't mix it up with Speyside Distillery, which is a new distillery in, unsurprisingly, the Speyside region.

Name: Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 41YO
Distllery: Unnamed (Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery: That's Glenfarclas!)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 41YO
Cask No: Ref 4191
Vintage: 1966 (326 Bottles)
Alc/Vol: 50%


Nose: Chocolate and winey, notes of red berries, cherries (fresh and preserved), citrus, banana, notes of leather and red apples as well (22)


Taste/Palate: Extremely rich and flavourful palate with notes of coffee and vanilla being the main flavours. Notes of mocha and latte, dark molasses sugar and cinnamon. Extremely pleasant (22)


Finish: Burnt coffee beans, dark sweet floral coffee (Nespresso's Onirio special edition comes to mind), cocoa and brown sugar. Superb finish that is complex, long and satisfying (23)


Overall: Brilliant stuff but it does not seem to hit the lofty heights of the 40YO in my opinion. (22) 89/100


Found at: The Auld Alliance.

So with that, SGwhisky concludes its coverage on Glenfarclas! Many thanks to everyone who has helped SGwhisky with the coverage this month. Stay tuned next month as we bring you our Whisky of the Month: August 2011, Bunnahabhain!