Glenfarclas 10y with Dan & Bowick

Aw yiss, Glenfarclas at last. We’ve seen Glenfarclas 10y on the shelves for a while, and I was tantalizingly close to getting a bottle through Secret Santa one year.  I recently found this sampler pack at the airport liquor store in Edmonton, which grimly was open at 7am. But hey, I bought liquor at 7:05 so whatever.

Glenfarclas is a little light on details on their website, less details on what they’re doing and more an explanation of whisky in broad strokes; more flavour notes, fewer distillation specifics. They are one of the last truly independent distillers in Scotland, so maybe those details are closely guarded secrets.  Here’s what we thought:

nose
Dan – leather, molasses, tobacco, faint toffee w unsweetened chocolate
Simon – apple spirits, apple blossoms, books
Bowick – light, caramel

neat
Dan – very spicy on the middle of the tongue, cocoa  with busty burn, lots of wood notes
Simon – dark chocolate, black licorice, tastes darker than it smells
Bowick – intense, apple, licorice

finish
Dan – short, bitter
Simon – nice short tingling warmth
Bowick – bitter, hot

splash
Dan – softened up, much more sweet, tobacco & hay
Simon – sweetened apple juice
Bowick – n/a

overall
Dan – 7.6/10
Simon – 7.8/10
Bowick – 6.5/10

Glenfarclas 10y – 50ml 40% – $ – Highlands

Try it? Yes. Buy it? No.