I’ve heard many good things about Glenfarclas and after watching the movie, The Gentlemen, where the 40 is featured prominently, I figured if there was an opportunity to try it, I’d take it.
Now, getting a particular bottle of whisky in Ontario can be difficult and doubly so during a pandemic. One company is authorized to do auctions in the province and the company puts an auction on every quarter. I took the opportunity to fill out my collection further and the Glenfarclas was just one of those opportunities.
I cracked it open and the first whiff was buttery sweet. I let it sit in the glencairn and kept going back to smell it some more. After a minute or so, a little but of lemony orange citrus came through. A few minutes more and it deepens into honey, peach, pear, and raisin. The more I wait, the more raisin comes through. I am delighted.
First sip had a surprising amount of heat that thankfully goes away on subsequent sips. Other reviews I’ve read describe it as oily but I am unsure if that referred to the taste or the texture. Texture-wise, for me, it felt like water, which I rarely get from whisky. It didn’t coat my mouth but rather clung to itself. Taste-wise, though, the initial sweet quickly disappears and is replaced with woodiness, a bit of peppery spice, and a hint of black tea. My mouth is left dry and oaky, like I just had some white wine.
As I keep going back to this, I’m enamoured by the smell. Every time I bring it up to my nose, I’m delighted. If anything, I’m slightly disappointed by the taste that doesn’t quite live up to that smell. It’s still delightful but not as delightful. The sherry influence lingers in my mouth for minutes afterwards, closing the circle on that lovely nosing.
I consider this an excellent whisky but one that still has a bit room for improvement.
