Glenfarclas Millennium Cask 2000/2022 Cask #24 Highland Single Malt Whisky 56,1%

Twenty-four hours after the other Millennium cask. This one was filled on 1 January 2000 — the first day of the new millennium — and it is hard to find a whisky with a more precise birthday.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas Millennium Single Cask 2000 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a single sherry butt, bottled at cask strength 56.1%.

The cask was filled on 1 January 2000 and emptied on 28 June 2022 after twenty-one years. Sherry butt number 24 gave 569 bottles, which is a lot for a single cask — a butt holds around 500 litres where a hogshead takes only half that. The 56.1% is natural cask strength.

The bottling forms part of The Family Casks and was selected specially for the Danish market. Together with the Millennium cask from the day before, the two make a pair where the difference between casks filled twenty-four hours apart can be tasted side by side.

Tasting notes

Nose

Powerful sherry with raisin, dates and dark syrup. The cask strength pushes the fruit forward, and there is a warm spice note beneath it all.

Palate

Dense and sweet. Dark fruit, walnut and chocolate, with a firm spiced middle. The 56.1% gives the whisky an intensity its gentler Millennium sibling does not have.

Finish

Very long. Dark fruit, nuts and a dry oak close with lasting warmth.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas Millennium Single Cask 2000 #24 Highland Single Malt Whisky 56.1%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 56.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt no. 24
Distilled: 1 January 2000
Bottled: 28 June 2022
Number of bottles: 569
Edition: The Family Casks - Millennium Cask, selected for Denmark

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark fruit · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. 569 bottles from one sherry butt with a distillation date that occurs only once. The cask was selected for Denmark alone, and together with the 1999 cask it forms a pair collectors seek as a set rather than separately.

Did you know?

The two Millennium casks were filled twenty-four hours apart — one on the last day of 1999, the other on the first day of 2000. They sit today at 50% and 56.1% respectively, which shows how differently two casks can develop under the same roof.

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Frequently asked questions about Glenfarclas Millennium Single Cask 2000 #24

Is it worth the money?

The argument is the date, the cask and the outturn. 569 bottles from a single sherry butt filled on 1 January 2000, selected for one market and bottled at natural cask strength. There are not many whiskies where you can point at the exact day the spirit ran.

What is a sherry butt?

The largest of the common sherry casks, around 500 litres — twice the size of a hogshead. That is why this cask gave 569 bottles where a hogshead typically gives a couple of hundred.

How does it differ from the 1999 Millennium cask?

The strength and the cask. This one sits at 56.1% from a sherry butt and gave 569 bottles, while the 1999 cask sits at 50% and gave 203. One was filled the day before the other, so the difference comes from the casks rather than the spirit.

Should I add water at 56.1%?

Yes, give it a try. Taste it neat first so you have a reference point, then add a few drops at a time. After twenty-one years the whisky takes water well, and the dark fruit steps forward more clearly as the alcohol drops.

What does Specially selected for Denmark mean?

That the cask was chosen by the Danish importer together with the distillery and was never sold outside Denmark. It is common practice in The Family Casks, where individual casks are reserved for particular markets.

Is there smoke in it?

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

Should the bottle be opened or kept?

It is a genuine trade-off. Opened, you get a single cask at full strength from a date that exists only once. Unopened, you hold one of 569 bottles from a series collectors follow closely. If it is to be kept, store it upright, cool and dark.