‘Farclas session #2 : Glenfarclas 12

It’s the end of the week here (Thursday – we do not work on Fridays, thank goodness) and before we enter the weekend , another superb Glenfarclas, this time a younger expression aged 12 years. It was perfect for last night’s weather, not cold and not hot, with a lovely breeze blowing in my tasting room/playground/office.

Glenfarclas 12, 43% ABV

Color: Amber gold.

Nose: sweet sherried fruit, some sappy oak (which is good, but doesn’t sound that sexy) notes but no bitter cocoa/espresso notes here. Milk chocolate (Milka) a wee bit of lemon splashes in the background. This malt feels younger than the 15 year old. Fresh, more grassy (if you can say so about a sherry malt), and is very befitting the “Glenfarclas” name which as you remember from the last post stands for “Valley of the Green Grass”. Lovely nose. I really appreciated the absence of those ‘Balsamic vinegar’ notes that haunt me sometimes when sipping richer older sherried malts.

Palate: Luscious dried fruit, milk chocolate sweetness, spicy and even some traces of peat-smoke (mind you – we’re not in Islay mode!, very subtle peat which is fitting). There is also a very interesting "Salty" sensation after the initial dried fruit sweetness has gone, then on the finish the sweet fruit does a "comeback", which lingers.

Finish: Lingering Sherry, Smoke, some bitter oak and the remains of a distant short espresso with the dried fruits dying softly. Very well integrated finish.

Summing it all up:

As expected, a lovely dram. ‘Farclas has not let me down yet, and this time is no exception. Relatively fresh sherry, with the textbook oak,dried fruit, chocolate notes and easy on the bitter side. I can really recommend it to anyone who likes his sherry drams, but does not want to start off with a sherry bomb. In any other respect, a dram I really need to have handy on my bar next to the 15 and 105.

My Journey in speyside is not over, and this week I will be reviewing 3 other Glenfarclas expression , the 15 , the 105 (105 proof), and the mighty 40 year old which has only recently been released.

Keep your noses and taste buds ready.

Slainte!