We’ve already had a nice Glenfarclas 1971 in the Family Cask range. That one was bottled for Silver Seal, this was part of the official releases.
Glenfarclas 1971
(57,1%, OB Family Cask VII 2007, sherry butt #140, 459 btl.)
Glenfarclas 1971Nose: nice, nice, nice. Baked apple with cinnamon, sultanas, figs, stewed prunes and raspberry marmalade. Pecan pie. Ripe banana and blueberries in the background. Lots of polished wood and scented wax candles. Also dusty churches and oriental spices. Leather and mint. Textbook Glenfarclas really, vibrant, balanced and really seductive.
Mouth: big berry sweetness again, and blue plums, but also drier notes of cocoa powder. Raspberry ganache. Pepper and cinnamon alongside some tangy tannins and walnut skin. Even a hint of smoke or burnt cake. Grows earthy towards the end.
Finish: long but slightly on the oaky side. Leafy notes, liquorice and bitter herbs.
A glorious nose, but – as often – a palate that shows the signs of so many years in oak. I’ve been hesitating about the rating, let’s say the nose would deserve an extra point but the palate takes it down a little. Originally around € 380.
Score: 91/100