7 April 2011 Ruben Glenfarclas

Glenfarclas 17 Years old

Name: Glenfarclas 17 Years old
Brand: Glenfarclas
Rating: 3 (2 reviews)

Glenfarclas 17 years is not a commonly found expression in the Glenfarclas range. It is bottled in limited quantities and sold primarily in the US and Japan as well as in travel retail. Occasionally you can find it in stores outside these regions as well.

Glenfarclas 17 yo (43%, OB)

Nose: roasted nuts (hazelnuts, almonds) and caramel. A lot of toffee notes. Quite some dates as well. A light hint of eucalyptus and with a heathery / resinous edge. Plenty of fresh herbs like parsley. Beautifully composed. It seems this one is a tad more smokey than other Glenfarclas bottlings as well.

Mouth: good attack, again a herbal note up front. Hints of pine needles and resin. Some liquorice. Sherried but malty at the same time. Oak, but not overwhelming. Cloves. Cinnamon sticks.

Finish: long, nutty and drying on spices and oak.

One of the more herbal and smokey members of the Glenfarclas range. Around € 55.

Score: 83/100

4Comments

Add yours

1

Jeff H on 7 April 2011 at 09:43

I really enjoy this one. Don’t you think it’s a pretty nice change-up relative to the bigger sherry expressions in the range?

I’ve had this in my cupboard for the past year and a half, and when Christmas comes around and the smell of gingerbread is in the air, I reach for the ‘farclas 17.

Nice review (as always)!

Cheers,
Jeff
2

Ruben on 7 April 2011 at 09:48

Thanks Jeff. Indeed, it’s nicely different within the range. I wouldn’t call this less sherried though, it’s just a different kind of sherry with less emphasis on sweet dried fruits and more on herbal, savoury notes.
3

Jeff H on 7 April 2011 at 09:59

Well, I say “bigger” sherry (not necessarily more) on some of the others because more of the profile seems to be directly related to what I consider a “classic sherry influence” from the cask(s).

I feel like I notice more wood/spice notes on this one, and I don’t necessarily think “classic sherry” when it comes to more herbal notes.
4

Ruben on 7 April 2011 at 10:10

You’re right about the “classic sherry”. I would need to investigate, but it could be due to a different balance of European and American oak. Sherry casks were traditionally made of European oak but nowadays American oak is used as well, and they cause different profiles. Also the balance of first fill / refill casks could be a reason for these differences in sherry character.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related posts