Whisky Online Blog

Glenfarclas is one of those distilleries it is very hard not to love. Family owned, very independent, very generous, very enthusiatic and welcoming. Not to mention the whisky; direct fired stills, epic investment in top notch sherry casks, a glittering back catalogue of gorgeous stock. Who could resist their charms? So today we’ll try a pair of official 1960 Glenfarclas, well almost, the Millennium 40yo doesn’t state ’1960′ as a vintage but I’m assured it’s almost entirely from this year. Enough chatter, lets try them…

I just realised this is the only picture of the actual bottle I possess. Here we see the wonderful Helen from Glenfarclas pouring a dram of the Millennium 40yo for a very satisfied visitor at the Whisky Show in London.

Glenfarclas “Millennium 40yo’ OB. Bottled 2000. 43%. 70cl.

Colour: Mahogany

Nose: What strikes first is this very distinctive note that some might describe as sulphuresque but I find it has a real dirty beauty to it, not cloying or intrusive, it’s more like a some very old earthy phenolic qualities surrounded by lots of stewed fruits and sultanas. Very earthy whisky, this was from the era at Glenfarclas when the malt was still peated. Old leaf mulch, forest flora, dried mushrooms, wet earth, damp hessian, dunnage floors, really beautiful and distinctive nose. The sherry is fragrant and profound but not cloying or overpowering in any way.

Palate: Lovely spicy old wood with a few juicy tannins round the sides of the mouth but still beautifully balanced sherry. Lovely old notes of rancio, cough medicine, tobacco leaf, leather, dried meats, sultanas and some curious notes of black olive tapenade and various herbs. Becomes waxy and oily, there are still glimmers of peat, it feels like the phenols have held the whole thing together behind the scenes, I really like this, it’s dangerously drinkable.

Finish: Long, earthy, leafy, phenolic and full of stewed fruits, more sultana notes and reduced characteristics.

Comments: I love this but I do know a few people who really don’t like it. Some say too woody some too dirty, but I love it, I think that slight phenolic/dirty earthy quality really freshens it and makes it stand out. Something delicious and a bit different.

Score: 91/100

Lets see what another seven years of aging does to the same distillate.

Glenfarclas Family Cask 1960. OB. cask: 1767. Bottled 27/02/2007. 228 bottles. 52.4%. 70cl.

Colour: Pedro Ximénez

Nose: This is more classical Glenfarclas, very syrupy, focused sherry qualities. Lots of fruit syrups, ancient cognac and pastis with notes of marzipan, smoky bacon, salted almonds and tobacco leaf. This is a bit of sherry monster this one but it’s perfectly clean, nothing approaching the ‘dirty’ qualities of the Millennnium edition. Rancio, wet earth, shammy leather, furniture polish, preserved lemon rind and notes of old marc de gewurtz eau de vie that has lain in glass for many years. Quite a powerhouse of a dram so far. With water the nose becomes more farmy and earthy with some even bigger notes of marzipan, there are even some little flecks of minerality which is quite astonishing.

Palate: Very woody with big, chocolatey, dark tannins and flavours akin to wood bark, pine resin, old cognac, mixed nuts, old leather and walnut oil. If you like massive, pristine sherry then you’ll probably need a change of underwear for this one. It’s not massively complex but this sort of whisky is more about intensity and delivery of flavour, on that level it’s pretty flawless. Now notes of prune eua de vie, molasses, old dark rum, dark brown sugar and apple crumble. Lets try with water… BAM! Now theres treacle, dark chocolate, old spices and phenols all over the joint. Glorious with water, those tannins are still there but they somehow manage not to be too overtly cloying, a real tightrope walker. Now all kinds of herb liqueurs, flints, greengages, dried herbs and mushrooms. I retract my previous comment this is becoming more and more complex by the minute.

Finish: Long, incredibly dense and mouthcoating. Feels like the best old rums and cognacs rolled up in a big perfect sherry cask.

Comments: I wasn’t expecting to like this one so much. I tried it briefly last weekend in Alsace and I thought it was just too much sherry for my taste but now given a fresh palate, lots of time and a few drops of water this is brilliant old whisky. It’s really staggering how the sherry can be so intense and yet still allow so many other flavours through. A great old Glenfarclas, one that really rewards time and water.

Score: 92/100

Once again… Merci beaucoup Moinseur Valentin!

In the heart of Blackpool, England lies a mish-mash of stunning old and rare whiskies.

Guest house, guest house, B&B, hotel, guest house, hotel, B&B, holiday flat, hotel, guest house, rare whisky specialist, guest house, hotel, B&B, B&B, guest house, hotel… and so on. This is how most people come across this small independent whisky retailer on the streets of sunny Blackpool. I have been writing this blog for Whisky Online for a few months now and I have finally managed to take a trip down to Blackpool where the company is based. So I figured it is high time I did a little demystification of what this company is all about. Like many of the modern day british whisky retailers the seeds of it’s origins lay in miniatures.

Back in the early nineties Wayne and Debbie Omerod owned a small off license in Blackpool called Coronation Wines. To call it small would be an understatement, it was more like a shoe box with bottles inside it. Wayne tells me that it was down to a commitment to stock more unusual products that they started buying in miniatures but I’m convinced that the shop was so small that stocking miniatures was a way to make it feel larger. Anyway, they soon attracted the usual crowd of miniature collectors which drove them to seek out increasingly rare and obscure minis. This process progressed naturally to full size bottles, over time gradually becoming rarer and more obscure. Like for many people in the independent wine and spirits trade the advent of the internet changed everything and the shop was eventually abandoned in favour of much larger premises down the road from which to operate a serious online whisky dealership.

The great wall of Ardbeg. Some of Wayne's collection displayed in the warehouse.

Whisky Online in it’s current guise has been trading since 2003 and has developed a more focused angle on the range of products it buys and sells. Wayne has a background in antiques and as such has always found himself at home in auction rooms and buying private collections. This natural affinity with the old, obscure and rare has led the stock profile in an interesting direction over the years, as much effort is put into finding and maintaining the range of older bottlings on offer as there is put into cherry picking the more interesting new releases. In these days of malt mania, with unprecedented quantities of different releases all the time from both independent and official sources, it is hard to stock everything, let alone keep abreast of all the new bottlings. This has led Wayne and Debbie to focus more on carefully selecting individual parcels of stock and trying to concentrate on quality and diversity over quantity. While this approach has proven problematic in some ways over the years it has also been great for the website with the selection of rarer bottlings constantly changing weekly. As Wayne explains:

“…for me it’s much more interesting to have a constantly changing variety of bottlings. I want people to be able to come back to the site regularly in the knowledge that they’re more than likely to find something new every week. We’ve been fortunate to keep aside quite a few rare and interesting things over the years and while these older bottlings are getting more expensive by and large… I like to think that we can always offer some real gems. I like the idea of a customer stumbling across something really great at a good price… we’ve always made an effort to keep that ‘hidden gem’ aspect to the site.”

One of Wayne's 'hidden gems' an old 1950's Black & White half bottle with spring cap and a perfect level.

While making the effort to constantly maintain an ever changing stock profile is demanding it hasn’t stopped them developing other aspects of the business, the newest being to offer whisky samples for sale. This is becoming something of a fashion these days since Luc Timmermans launched his very successful Whiskysamples. The idea has been a good excuse to gather more interesting bottlings, some of the older ones that might be label damaged, or maybe some that are just too tempting not to open and offer them for sale as 3cl drams. It all started with a spectacular 1938 Glenlossie closely followed by an oddball selection of other drams. It’s still early days for this part of the business but keep an eye on the samples page as there are going to be some pretty unique drams going up there very soon…

Here is just a taste of some of the bottles earmarked to go up on the samples page in the coming weeks. Keep your eyes peeled and your mouth watering.

Today it is quiet in the showroom, as I type this the weather is tearing up the world outside and I am looking forward to a small but enthralling tasting. If you find yourself in Blackpool you should make your way to the showroom. It stands out as the most unlikely sight amongst all the guest houses and bricky, seaside town streets. The word haven could be very easily be applied here. The selection of bottles is much greater here than on the website with some very special things held back for… well a rainy day, not unlike this one I say to Wayne, however despite my best efforts the Bowmore 1967 Largimeanoch stays firmly closed (for now). Staffed day to day by Wayne, Debbie, their son Harrison and Julie who impressively handles and packs the orders. The feel of the business is very much a family one, a personal touch that’s missing from so many retailers these days. It’s been great to finally spend some time with them and their knack for great hospitality. All that remains is to finish with a tasting of something rather delicious.

A stunning old Glenfarclas in impeccable condition.

Glenfarclas 8yo 105 proof. OB. Rotation early seventies. 75.7 centilitres.

Colour: Amber

Nose: Wildly clean and vigorous sherry full of sheep’s wool, engine oil, boiler sheds, minerals and richly stewed fruits. The alcohol is big and surprisingly well intact with no old bottle effect on display at all. It feels so fresh, like it could have been bottled yesterday (although I suspect this has really benefitted from several decades in the bottle). Vegetal, mashy, cooked cereal notes begin to emerge with more old school oily notes of hessian, lamp oil, paraffin wax and hints of tar. Big old highlands style with beautifully clean and rich sherry. Time starts to reveal hints of struck matches, preserved lemon rind, flints and dunnage warehouses with some quite meaty, fatty, cold beef qualities. With water there are just more and more of these beautiful hessian, mineral and flint aromas. Now some beautiful stone fruits start to emerge with even a little barbeque smoke and mint.

Palate: Mighty alcohol at first, big, juicy and clean, like a cleaner version of an A’bunadh. It’s surprising how close this is in style on the palate to the current 105 OB, just more thick oiliness and minerals. Lets add water… needs plenty but after that there is a heap of green fruits all over the place, like some sort of industrial fruit incident at an old highland farm. Greengages, cox’s apples, bananas, guavas and melons. More notes of damp sackcloth, sheep’s wool, wet earth, leaf mulch and old spices. Ok enough of these olfactory expletives.

Finish: Long, rich, oily and full of ginger nut biscuits, simmering spices, coal, grease and even a tiny hint of antiseptic. Brilliant.

Comments: This is a stunning old Glenfarclas. Completely typical of these brilliant old highland style whiskies that are now sadly no longer produced. Perfect sherry casks and beautifully demanding whisky that swims like a salmon in speedos.

Score: 93/100

If you like the sound of that then all I’m saying is keep an eye on the samples page over the coming days. You can keep up to date with everything that goes up via this blog and you can follow us on Twitter or seek us out on the Book Of Face. Have a joyful wednesday.

Glenfarclas is one of a handful of spirits that can age with a wealth of grace and dignity unlike many others. It is also a distillery from which there are, fortunately for us all, many aged examples available at accessible prices, just look at this for example. However I always found it a little more difficult at great ages than its not too distant cousins Glen Grant, Strathisla and Longmorn. Not always I would stress, I have been fortunate enough to taste many deliriously beautiful aged Glenfarclas, I just find that the heavily sherried expressions can sometimes be a little too dense, a little too tannic or cloying. So it will be interesting to see what happens with the three 40 year old plus sherry monsters I have lined up for today’s tasting. First up is the one I have no photo for…

Speyside’s Finest 40yo 1969/2009. Douglas Laing. 50%. 70cl. ref OMC 1672.

Colour: Ronseal wood stain

Nose: There’s that big chunky sherry. Lots of dark chocolate, mulling spices, and a very clean fruitiness, some notes of red fruit and jam also. I find it quite lively and even a little alcoholic on the nose. No off notes, very clean and quite succulent sherry characters. Cloves and mincemeat, lots of christmasy characteristics as per usual in these ancient sherried drams. After a little time in the glass it develops some unusual aromas of wet sawdust and maybe even a hint of cardboard, it also becomes slightly appley.

Palate: Its a big spicy chocolate bomb at first but quickly settles down to become surprisingly soft. The nose suggested it might require water but so far the neat palate is very gentle. Its not the most complex of drams, lots of stewed fruit, lean bacon and nutty dryness, in other words some classic sherry flavours. The oak is a little too much for my taste in all honesty but I know many sherry fans who will love it.

Finish: Delicately spicy and quite long with those soft tannic oak notes fading away into the distance.

Comments: This is a good, uncomplicated sherried whisky. I find it too drying and heavy for my palate but its quality is undeniable, should be lots of fun for sherry heads.

Score: 88/100

Speyside’s Finest 42yo 1967/2010. Douglas Laing. 50%. 70cl.

Colour: Old Tokaji

Nose: Again quite prickly but with very similar profile to the previous one. This one is perhaps more flowery with some notes of rosewater and violets. There is also something slightly vegetal about it as well with orange marmalade, hessian and just a hint of struck flints but not what I would call an off note. This one is not technically as clean as the first one but so far I enjoy the nose more because I think these flinty/vegetal aromas make it more entertaining and unusual, they also seem to tame the intensity of the sherry quite efficiently.

Palate: This is quite different now, more expressive fruitiness than the first one and some really nice flavours of fig rolls and macaroons. It feels generally lighter than the first DL though not as light as the OB 40yo. That slight dirtiness has manifested itself as a beautiful earthiness on the palate, like freshly dug soil. Very deft spicy flourishes amongst the fruit and yet more dark chocolate. Quite an easy one to drink this one.

Finish: There is some lovely subtle menthol character on the swallow and a long well balanced finish to follow.

Comments: I like this one more than the first and I think its unusual nuances make it a more ambiguous and entertaining dram. Still an excellent example of a long aged, sherried Speysider.

Score: 89/100

Glenfarclas 40yo. OB. 46%. 70cl. circa 2010.

Colour: deep mahogany

Nose: Much softer and oilier than the previous two, similar level of wood influence but its much more balanced and delicately deployed here, feels straight away like it has benefitted from being bottled at 46%. Bags of stewed fruits, red berry compote and jam with quite a rich and elegant chocolate aroma. After a while it becomes slightly mentholated in the way that the best aged spirits often do, very attractive. The tannins on the nose in this one are much less aggressive than the other two, it even starts to develop some new fruit elements with notes of green and tropical fruits.

Palate: Rich and very sweet, quite a thick, oak laden delivery. The oak brings more of that menthol character and is very big but also very clean. I think that the oak works quite well to give the spirit some body and control. Quite raisiny, all the fruit character has become dried and concentrated and the drying oak and dark chocolate combo is well integrated, a very focused flavour profile. Opens up flavours of rancio and tobacco leaf along with a hint of something dirty but its entertaining not distracting, on the whole its very clean and highly polished sherry.

Finish: Big, drying, menthol and tannic finish. Quite mouthwatering and tingly. The finish is fairly long and leaves some lovely earthy, wet leaves flavours hanging around with more tobacco and old leather bound books.

Comments: Probably my favourite of the three and a fantastic fireside armchair dram. Not the easiest Glenfarclas for sure but a great example of well aged whisky and one where oak, though very prominent, has held the whole thing together very nicely.

Score: 90/100

And now the sacrilege part…

A vatting of all three

Its actually better than the sum of its parts. It seems to combine the best qualities of each individual sample. Lots more menthol and fruit character here and the oak has somehow become very deft and controlled. Very soft and easy on the palate with all the chocolate, fruit and spice components floating around together very harmoniously, great balance. Whoever said blending was difficult? This seems to happen so often when similar drams are quickly mixed together, I have seen it before where spirits can quickly bring out the best in each other. Try a vatting of all official releases of Port Ellen if you get the chance, or perhaps Port Ellen 30yo 9th release and Brora 30yo 2009 release, these are just a couple of other premium mixes that work really well. Obviously it helps if you’re very rich or a pretentious, scrounging twit like me. Have a glorious evening.