Last Glenfarclas...

This is the last, and oldest, of the trio in the sample gift set that CO got for me from The Whisky Exchange in London. I've had this before, a couple of years ago, as part of a Glenfarclas flight at Auld Alliance. Ah, haven't been back there in a long time...In any case, I remember liking this for the light smoke behind the sherry. Let's see if I remember correctly.

Glenfarclas 25 (abv 43%)

Colour - Amber.

Nose - There's sherry alright. Dried cranberries, raisins, cloves. Caramel and burnt sugar, a hint of chocolate fudge. There's also a bit of honey, butterscotch. Coriander. Subtle smoke and charred wood.

Palate - This is very sweet! Lots of honey and syrup. Toffee. Sweet, fortified wine. Closer to port, almost, if I didn't know better. Chocolatey in the middle. Floral and gentle...then the spices kick in. Coriander and mint, then cloves and cinnamon. Mm. A touch of bitter wood, much better integrated this time, than in the 21 or 15. A bit of fire and smoke in this. There's a bit of alcohol burn despite the age, but that tongue burn complements this touch of smoke and pepper well. Not super amazing, but pleasant enough. A little rougher than expected, but I think there's about enough flavour to carry this. Odd though, that 43% should burn. I never had these issues with the Inchgower, which was at 50%.

Finish - The alcohol burn takes a while to recede, making the finish a little hard to pinpoint. That's a fairly big minus. When it does though, there's nice oak and spices - maybe some saffron - left all around in the mouth. A fairly full finish, then. A little bitter, like dark chocolate with high cocoa content, and the sweetness of the entry isn't very prominent. Very dry.

Overall - I'm not an age-ist, but I really do think that this 25 year is the best of the three in the set. Best balance, and a sweetness that is really surprising, given that the nose is less obviously so. I like this, though it's flawed, especially in the finish.

And...that wraps up a really disappointing Lunar New Year. Maybe next year will be better.