CNY Drink 2 - Glenfarclas 21

The Lunar New Year is running out, and this will only be my second new whisky this festive season. I need to repent. As per the previous Glenfarclas, this comes from a small sample bottle, courtesy of CO and her husband, JC. 

Glenfarclas 21 - 43%

Colour - Gold

Nose - Initial burst of sherry and cranberries, then rather more muted. Deep nosing brings out some maltiness, a little leafy. There's something meaty here that reminds me of a braised pig trotter, with that bit of umami and cloves.

Palate - Ouch. Pretty big on alcohol. Thicker sherry here. Cranberries and grapes. Cocoa and dark chocolate, and the aftertaste of black coffee. Maybe a couple of roasted peanuts tossed in too. There's a little trace of sours - like lemon zest, or orange peel. But pretty big pepper to go with the alcohol. Turns bitter again, like the 15. Why do they do that? Fairly malty, with notes of porridge. Consistent with the nose, I guess. With some time in the glass, some floral notes come out, like flower petals and nectar. Pretty pleasant, worth waiting for. I feel it smooths out some of the sting.

Finish - Syrupy and a little caramel. There is some lingering smoke, and pretty big pepper. The pepper comes in a burst, then retreats to leave behind some toffee at the back of the throat. This then transits into sweet oak, but the last word is the slight bitterness of what feels like caramel colouring, so that's not very pleasant.

Overall - It's got more depth than the 15, I think. A little more variety and development, though I don't think I necessarily like this better. It's got the same flaws, I feel, with the bitterness that's a bit artificial, if you get what I mean. Not the bitterness of charred wood, or something smoky/peaty. This bitterness feels like it sits outside of what the whisky is setting itself out to be, and laughing at it through the window. Get what I mean? No? So, not too bad, but not my favourite Speysider, again. Standards are pretty high, eh?

In any case, the results from the first round of judging at the World Whisky Awards have been announced...