Glenfarclas 12 Single Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

What happens when you have a Speyside distillery that would rather be a Highland? That’s one of those gray areas because Speyside is a relatively new region carved out of the Highlands. So, in theory, they can call it that, and apparently, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) approves, and if they didn’t, the distillery couldn’t.

 

Licensed in 1836 but distilling since 1791, Glenfarclas is a sixth-generation, family-owned distillery, and when you’re talking Scotch in particular, that’s a big deal. It is owned by the Grants of Glenfarclas family. It sets at the base of Ben Rinnes in Ballindalloch, and its name means Valley of the Green Grass. The distillery is home to six stills, the largest in the Speyside region, although only four of them are actively used, with the remainder serving as back-ups. Glenfarclas is known for its sherry-bomb whiskies. The other cool bit of trivia is they have at least one barrel still aging for every year from 1952 to the present day.

 

“One of the oldest distilleries within Speyside, Glenfarclas is also one of the few plants to have retained stills which are heated with direct fire. The retention of direct fire was done for quality reasons, not to please tourists or malt maniacs. Steam had in fact been tried in 1981, but the conclusion was that the guts went out of the new make spirit, and so direct fire went back in. After all, you need a rich distillate to be able to cope with the tannic structure and rich fruits of ex-Sherry casks.” –Scotchwhisky.com

 

One of its core expressions is Glenfarclas 12.  It is a single-malt Scotch, aged 100% in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a dozen years, as you can gather from the name. It is bottled at 43% ABV (86°), and a 750ml package will set you back about $60.00.

 

I picked up a taster at Liquor Barn in Chicagoland. Let's #DrinkCurious and discover if this would lead me to pick up a full-sized bottle.

 

Appearance: Poured neat in my Glencairn glass, Glenfarclas 12 was brassy amber in color. It formed a thin rim with fast legs that fell back to the pool.

 

Nose: This Scotch was fragrant from the moment it left the bottle. Aromas of raisin, plum, chocolate, caramel, and melon created a mouthwatering experience. When I pulled the air into my mouth, the melon continued.

 

Palate: I found the mouthfeel to be creamy with a medium-to-full weight. The front featured vanilla, chocolate, and banana. As it shifted to the middle, it offered flavors of honeysuckle, raisin, plum, and the slightest tinge of citrus. The back was dry oak, tobacco, and almond.

 

Finish:  Medium-to-long in duration, the finish consisted of dry sherry, raisin, tobacco, and oak. A definitive astringent quality was at the end.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  Glenfarclas 12 was an interesting Scotch. In some ways, it was enjoyable. I wish that Band-Aid taste at the end was less pronounced. I don’t find some astringent a bad thing, but when it becomes heavier, that becomes a turnoff. As such, this whisky rings in as a Bar rating. You should try this one first before committing to a bottle. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.