Glenfarclas 30 Year

The finale of my Glenfarclas journey is this 30 year. After tasting the 17, 25 and a 28, I’m optimistic that this will be the best one of the lot and justify that 500+ dollar price tag. The nose starts with a modest but not overwhelming sherry blast with musty grape and toasted almonds that is swiftly followed by fresh hot out of the oven apple pie, orange zest, apricots, honey dew then slight floral notes of hyacinths along with chamomile tea then spices of raw gingersnap cookie dough, moderate cedar oak and light ethanol burn. The taste starts with medium mouthfeel with some slight sherry and orchard fruit but then it fast forwards through all those tasty fruits and rushes you into spice mode with ginger, cloves, grapefruit pith and medium ethanol burn that finishes medium length with lots of bitter over-steeped black tea that has infused with grapefruit pith and sawdust. I’m glad I skipped that retail price and just bought a sample as this is a complete disappointment and rates inferior to all of my previous Glenfarclas samples. The nose is marvelous and wonderfully balanced like a siren song that conveys you in for a taste, but alas, there are no such wonders or balance in this dram. The sip is simply a rushed fruit melody as the sirens hastily switch melodies into banshee shrieks that lay siege with bitter destruction to your taste buds one by one.

Age does not a fine whisky make. Really not. Considering how much I've enjoyed some of this distillery's other expressions (the 15, the 105), I was not expecting the 30-year-old to negatively perplex me the way it did. The nose underperforms, though with enough effort you can tease out some touches of sherry and ethereal. The palate on the other hand is much more complex, as notes of walnut and fruitcake surface. Unfortunately, it's here that a problematic aroma competes with the more pleasant notes - a bitterness I can only describe as dark chocolate gone bad, coupled with a certain sulfurous flavor that makes me question the quality of the casks. It's too bad, and hey maybe it's me, but I did not enjoy this expression.

Tried the old style version of this and it was very well balanced and full of dark chocolate, dark fruit, and spices. Nose: Raisins, Figs, Prunes, Dates, Sour Cherries, Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Pecans, Blood Oranges, Marzipan, Almonds, Cranberries, Raspberries, Christmas Cakes, Mocha Palate: Rum Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Licorice, Treacle, Walnuts, Cloves, Oranges, Prunes, Dates, Cola, Raspberries, Christmas Cakes, Pecans, Leather, Stout, Espresso, Blackberries Finish: Dark Chocolate, Root Beer, Raisins, Violets, Prunes, Root Beer, Cola, Cherries, Nutmeg, Walnuts, Cloves, Licorice, Pecans, Tobacco, Stout, Blackberries

Suprisingly light nose, with some floral notes and sherry coming through. Full and warm mouthful, with malted cereal, dried fruit and baking spice on the palate. The finish is long and peppery, with a slight bitter aftertaste of cocoa nibs. Overall an oak-heavy and unbalanced dram. Quite disappointing.

Light nose, sherry, malt. Dry medium body, nuts and red fruit, ok balance but a bit sharp and with a short finish

Very soft, easy drinking! Spicy mouth. Woody, vanilla, slightly buttery and a little orange.