Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength is voted "Best Buy for your Bucks" by Malt Maniacs.
Colour: Deep peaty-gold.
Nose: Complex, oaky, apples and pears, and a tempting dark toffee sweetness.
Flavour: Dry and assertive, develops quickly to reveal a rich spiciness, combined with a hint of oak and sherried fruit.
Finish: Amazingly smooth for the strength; wonderfully warming and with a lingering smokiness, yet very rounded.
Comment: A great whisky holding all the flavours of all the Glenfarclas in one glass. Being so warming, this is the perfect Hogmanay dram. Don’t be afraid of the strength and order a 210, if you dare!
The smoothness makes the 105 drinkable at cask strength, but I suggest adding a little water to fully explore its great depth.
For its price to performance ratio, the Malt Maniacs named Glenfarclas 105 their ‘Bang for your Buck’ in 2004.
Glenfarclas is today one of the only remaining family-owned distilleries in Scotland. Located on the River Spey in the home of malt whisky, the Highlands, the distillery was founded in 1836 by Lieutenant Robert Hay. The land was adjacent to cattle farmer John Grant's Grants fields, so when Robert Hay wanted to sell his land in 1865 to return to England, it was natural for John Grant to step in and buy the land and distillery.
This proved to be a great investment and today, almost 150 years later, Glenfarclas is world-renowned for producing some of the most welcoming and aromatic whiskies in Scotland.
The water used in the distillation process is drawn from a small spring that springs from the Benrinnes mountains - and it's the combination of the very pure, soft water and the unique shape of the pot-stills used that contributes to Glenfarclas's unique style. The combination of the very pure, soft water and the unique shape of the pot stills used contribute to the Glenfarclas unique style. Once distilled, the whisky is aged in used casks, either sourced from the USA, where they were previously used to age bourbon, or from Spain, where they were used to age Fino Sherry. The whisky is then aged for a minimum of 8 years before being released for sale.
Jim Murray writes in Lademann's Whiskybog about Glenfarclas: "I hope their name reaches far and wide - their malt should be experienced by anyone seeking liquid beauty."
“My great-great grandfather, John Grant, born in 1805, purchased Glenfarclas Distillery for £511.19s.0d on the 8th of June 1865. To this day, Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky is distilled and matured at our family owned and run distillery, which thanks to the foresight of my forefathers remains independent. Creating a great malt whisky is a time-honoured process. Here in the heart of Speyside, my family has cherished the skills and traditions of fine malt whisky making, handing them down through six generations. We are proud to share our secrets with you”.
John L. S. Grant
Since 1865 Glenfarclas has been owned and managed by just one family, the Grants of Glenfarclas. On the 8th of June 1865 John Grant acquired the tenancy for the Rechlerich Farm and as part of the transaction purchased the Glenfarclas Distillery for £511.19S.0d. To this day Glenfarclas is one of only a few distilleries in Scotland to remain family owned and managed. Now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generation of the family, the Grants remain committed to the vision of creating the best quality Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, in the traditional Speyside style.
George, son of John, is the sixth generation of the family and the company's Brand Ambassador. George joined the family business in 2000 after working for another Scotch Whisky Distiller, and the Glenfarclas distributor in Hong Kong; Fine Vintages (Far East) Ltd. George is passionate about Glenfarclas and particularly enjoys introducing whisky lovers to the older expressions of Glenfarclas, those distilled by his grandfather and watched over by his father.
Being a relatively small company you won’t find Glenfarclas in every supermarket, however the family were delighted when their commitment to quality and the traditions of the whisky trade were honoured in 2006 when Whisky Magazine named Glenfarclas 'Distiller of the Year', for 'being consistently good and staying true to its core values'
Glenfarclas
Owner: Region/district:
J. & G. Grant Speyside
Founded: Status: Capacity:
1836 Active (vc) 3 000 000 litres
Address: Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9BD
Tel: website:
01807 500257 www.glenfarclas.co.uk
History:
1836 – Robert Hay founds the distillery on the original site since 1797.
1865 – Robert Hay passes away and John Grant and his son George buy the distillery for £511.19s on 8th June. They lease it to John Smith at The Glenlivet Distillery.
1870 – John Smith resigns in order to start Cragganmore and J. & G. Grant Ltd takes over.
1889 – John Grant dies and George Grant takes over.
1890 – George Grant dies and his widow Barbara takes over the license while sons John and George control operations.
1895 – John and George Grant take over and form The Glenfarclas-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd with the infamous Pattison, Elder & Co.
1898 – Pattison becomes bankrupt. Glenfarclas encounters financial problems after a major overhaul of the distillery but survives by mortgaging and selling stored whisky to R. I. Cameron, a whisky broker from Elgin.
1914 – John Grant leaves due to ill health and George continues alone.
1948 – The Grant family celebrates the distillery’s 100th anniversary, a century of active licensing. It is 9 years late, as the actual anniversary coincided with WW2.
1949 – George Grant senior dies and sons George Scott and John Peter inherit the distillery.
1960 – Stills are increased from two to four.
1968 – Glenfarclas is first to launch a cask-strength single malt. It is later named Glenfarclas 105.
1972 – Floor maltings is abandoned and malt is purchased centrally.
1973 – A visitor centre is opened.
1976 – Enlargement from four stills to six.
2001 – Glenfarclas launches its first Flower of Scotland gift tin which becomes a great success and increases sales by 30%.
2002 – George S Grant dies and is succeeded as company chairman by his son John L S Grant
2003 – Two new gift tins are released (10 years old and 105 cask strength).
2005 – A 50 year old is released to commemorate the bi-centenary of John Grant´s birth.
2006 – Ten new vintages are released.
2007 – Family Casks, a series of single cask bottlings from 43 consecutive years, is released.
2008 – New releases in the Family Cask range. Glenfarclas 105 40 years old is released.
2009 – A third release in the Family Casks series.
2010 – A 40 year old and new vintages from Family Casks are released.
2011 – Chairman´s Reserve and 175th Anniversary are released.
The above text is from Malt Whisky Year Book. Thanks to Ingvar Ronde, author of Malt Whisky Year Book 2012 - Buy the full edition here for DKK 149,-
The book is written in English by Ingvar Ronde, as well as a lot of whisky experts including: Chris Bunting, Gavin D Smith, Ian Buxton; Charles MacLean, Dominic Roskrow, Colin Dunn, Neil Ridley
The 2012 edition has been expanded by 24 pages to a total of 300 pages. The Malt Whisky Yearbook 2012 tells all about all Scottish, Irish & Japanese distilleries with more than 500 images. In addition, a detailed review of brand new and planned distilleries
