Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%

Six decades in one bottle. When Glenfarclas came to mark 185 years, the family went into the warehouses and brought out casks from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s — and married them into a single whisky.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky composed from casks spanning six decades and bottled at 46%.

Around two thirds of the casks are Spanish sherry oak, the rest other cask types from the distillery own warehouses. The whisky carries no age statement, because one would have to follow the youngest cask in the marriage and would say very little about what is actually in the bottle. The outturn is 6,000 bottles.

Glenfarclas was founded in May 1836, and the anniversary release was bottled in May 2021 — exactly 185 years later. It is the kind of marker a family-owned distillery can make precisely because there are still old casks left in its own warehouses to draw on.

Tasting notes

Nose

Deep sherry and dried fruit, with raisin, fig and a dark syrup note. The oldest casks show up as a dusty, almost waxy depth behind.

Palate

Full and layered. Dark fruit and nuts from the old casks meet a fresher fruitiness from the younger ones, and the spice builds slowly through the palate. The 46% keeps the many layers apart.

Finish

Very long. Dried fruit, nuts and a dry oak note that keeps shifting.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Casks from six decades, around two thirds Spanish sherry oak
Bottled: May 2021
Number of bottles: 6,000
Edition: Celebrating Our 185th Anniversary - Limited Edition
EAN no.: 5018066200376

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark fruit · Nutty · Spiced · Complex

Investment potential

Medium. 6,000 bottles of an anniversary release drawing on casks from six decades cannot be remade, and the composition rests on old stock that cannot be recreated. Anniversary bottles from family-owned distilleries tend to be collected rather than drunk.

Did you know?

Glenfarclas was founded in May 1836, and the 185th anniversary was marked by bottling in May 2021 — to the month, 185 years later. It is a detail that requires having casks from every decade in between.

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Frequently asked questions about Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary

Is it worth the money?

Judge it on the composition. Casks from six decades, the oldest from the 1950s, cannot be sourced again, and the outturn is closed at 6,000 bottles. It is not an age statement you are paying for but access to stock the family has built over generations.

Why is there no age statement?

Because the rules require an age statement to follow the youngest cask in the marriage. With casks from the 2000s in the composition the figure would be low and would give an entirely wrong picture of what the bottle contains.

What do six decades mean in practice?

That the blender had casks from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s to work with. The old casks give depth and a dusty complexity while the younger ones contribute freshness — together they cover a span no single vintage can.

Is there smoke in it?

A light note from the direct firing under the stills that runs through the whole Glenfarclas range. There is no peated malt in the whisky. See the other Scottish styles in our Scotch Whisky selection.

How is it best enjoyed?

Neat, at room temperature, and with plenty of time. Give it at least fifteen minutes in the glass — a whisky with this many layers shifts markedly as it gets air. Water is not needed at 46%.

Should it be opened or kept?

Both make sense. Opened, you get a composition that cannot be made again. Unopened, you hold an anniversary bottle from a closed outturn. If it is to be kept, store it upright, cool and dark with the box intact.

What makes an anniversary release different from an ordinary bottling?

That it is composed for the occasion rather than to a fixed recipe. The blender can use casks that would otherwise have gone into the older age statements, and the result is therefore a one-off marriage.