Glenfarclas Oloroso Sherry Cask 2012 Vintage

Nose: Dark fruit cake, mixed nuts, dark honey, tropical fruit, fresh croissants and a dusting of cinnamon. Over time as it develops in the glass the familiar distillery floral notes appear. Palate: Sweet and malty on the arrival with soft cinnamon and nutmeg. The rich fruitcake qualities typical of sherry-cask maturation (and all of the distillery's products) emerge in the developed palate along with dark chocolate and espresso. The texture is firm and full-bodied, but not dense. Finish: Medium/Long. Mild spice notes, chocolate and dark ale. This whisky was a limited edition bottled in 2022 for a club in Australia, and it is a 10 year old that could be termed a “small batch” product. It differs from standard 10 year old products from the distillery in being fully sherry-cask matured with all the casks used being filled in the same year (so not quite a vintage release). It is a cask-strength expression with the 51.7% abv content the result of blending two or three selected casks, at least one of which had probably lost a lot to the angels. Interestingly, there was another limited edition 2012/2022 10 year old they released for another retailer at the same time but it was at 60.9 abv, so I can’t help but wonder if the club release was a “little sister” spin-off and the other retailer got the very best casks. A very pleasant product from the distillery, but then I seldom dislike anything they produce. This one stands somewhere between their core-range 10 and 15 year olds in character, and it’s most similar to the 15 (and quite distinct from the core 12 year old). Adding water lightens the nose and brings out some oak aromas, but it also makes the palate a little astringent, so I’d suggest taking this one neat. I don’t think this would be easy to find now but if you did see it on an auction site for a reasonable price it is worth obtaining. I paid AUD$135 in 2022. “Good” 84/100 (3.75 stars)