Glenfarclas 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

The roar of the direct fired stills, the gleam of the sunbeams reflecting on the polished copper, and the sight of the largest pot stills on Speyside, is breathtaking. This is the Glenfarclas distillery, home to some of the Highland’s finest malt whiskies. Distilling twice, the six traditional direct-fired pot stills, three 'wash' stills for the first distillation and three spirit stills for the second, work their magic. Only the lightest and the best fractions of alcohol are collected and it has been said, it is the whisky they don't use that makes Glenfarclas great. It is with a trained eye, a skill passed on by generations, that the still man makes the ‘middle cut’ at precisely the right moment to collect the glorious new spirit worthy of the Glenfarclas title.

Once the precious new spirit is collected, with its aroma of pears and cherry blossoms, it is filled into the finest Spanish sherry casks to be matured. The casks, from Seville in Spain have previously held Oloroso and Fino Sherry, and just like his ancestors, John Grant, the present Chairman, selects the casks himself. This is all part of the rigorous quality control program, ensuring each batch of Glenfarclas is as special as the last.

Tasting note: Bright gold with a pale straw hue. There's some real class and depth to the nose which offers powerful aromas of prune, roasted nuts, honey and freshly polished floorboards. Concentrated and mouthfilling, there's also an unexpected degree of 'tingle' for whisky of this age. Glorious at mid palate, the flavour profile serves up delicious honeyed, dried fruits over rich, spicy underlying brown sugar laced malt. Fades a little too fast leading into an abrupt and almost indiscernible aftertaste of dried fruit and sweet leather. 43% Alc./Vol.