Glanfarclas releases its oldest whisky to date
One of Scotland’s last family owned distilleries, Glenfarclas, has released its oldest whisky to date – a 70-Year-Old single malt that carries a price tag of £20,000. The post Glanfarclas releases its oldest whisky to date appeared first on The Drinks Business.
One of Scotland’s last family owned distilleries, Glenfarclas, has released its oldest whisky to date – a 70-Year-Old single malt that carries a price tag of £20,000.
The whisky, which was distilled on 20 November 1953 at a time when the barley was hand-turned on the malting floors, was originally laid down in first-fill sherry casks and has been stored in the distillery’s dunnage warehouses in Speyside ever since. Only 262 bottles have been made, which will be available in 50 markets via a group of selected specialist retailers.
It is, according to the producers, the “pinnacle in the distillery's legacy, embodying over seven decades of meticulous ageing and expertise” and one of the few remaining casks from the era, with only 262 bottles released globally. The whisky is released in Glenfarclas's customary understated red packaging, a deliberate choice by the family "to let the whisky speak for itself", it said.
Releasing the milestone cask marked “a true milestone”, according to John Grant, chairman and fifth generation of the Grant family, as it is one of the few remaining casks from the era.
“We take great pride in maintaining complete control over every aspect of production, preserving our time-honoured traditional methods - most notably, the use of direct-fired stills, which creates a robust and full-bodied spirit," he added. It is one that he and Glenfarclas’ distillery Manager Callum Fraser “considered carefully and with great respect for [the whisky’s] legacy” he said.
Fraser called the expression a "true Glenfarclas" that captured "the very DNA of the distillery".
"What we did 30 or 40 or even 70 years ago is very much what we still do today," he said. “This whisky has waited seventy years to be enjoyed. Through wars, the reign of a queen and now a king, the world has changed — but this spirit has endured, and it stands as a rare and timeless testament to patience and craft.”
The tasting notes reveal stewed fruits, and “a gentle touch” of Speyside peat, with “rich notes of dark chocolate, spiced dried fruits, treacle toffee and deep coffee unfold in layers” on the palate, followed by a long, evolving, and “deeply satisfying” finish.
The whisky, which was distilled on 20 November 1953 at a time when the barley was hand-turned on the malting floors, was originally laid down in first-fill sherry casks and has been stored in the distillery’s dunnage warehouses in Speyside ever since. Only 262 bottles have been made, which will be available in 50 markets via a group of selected specialist retailers.
It is, according to the producers, the “pinnacle in the distillery's legacy, embodying over seven decades of meticulous ageing and expertise” and one of the few remaining casks from the era, with only 262 bottles released globally. The whisky is released in Glenfarclas's customary understated red packaging, a deliberate choice by the family "to let the whisky speak for itself", it said.
Releasing the milestone cask marked “a true milestone”, according to John Grant, chairman and fifth generation of the Grant family, as it is one of the few remaining casks from the era.
“We take great pride in maintaining complete control over every aspect of production, preserving our time-honoured traditional methods - most notably, the use of direct-fired stills, which creates a robust and full-bodied spirit," he added. It is one that he and Glenfarclas’ distillery Manager Callum Fraser “considered carefully and with great respect for [the whisky’s] legacy” he said.
Fraser called the expression a "true Glenfarclas" that captured "the very DNA of the distillery".
"What we did 30 or 40 or even 70 years ago is very much what we still do today," he said. “This whisky has waited seventy years to be enjoyed. Through wars, the reign of a queen and now a king, the world has changed — but this spirit has endured, and it stands as a rare and timeless testament to patience and craft.”
The tasting notes reveal stewed fruits, and “a gentle touch” of Speyside peat, with “rich notes of dark chocolate, spiced dried fruits, treacle toffee and deep coffee unfold in layers” on the palate, followed by a long, evolving, and “deeply satisfying” finish. 
