Glenfarclas vintage 2002, Distillery Exclusive 2023 for Spirit of Speyside Festival

Glenfarclas Distillery post-tour tasting, May 3rd, 2024, whisky #4. Nose: Malt extract, rum and raisin chocolate, cherries, orange peel, preserved ginger, dried apricot, and leather. A magnificent, powerful nose with intensity yet well-balanced. An excellent sherry aroma. Palate: The initial taste is sweet and spicy with preserved fruits in dark honey, pippali, hot cinnamon, and nutmeg. As it develops, the palate becomes maltier with licorice, oak, and espresso coffee, complemented by a leathery, tobacco note. The texture is very pleasing, slightly oily with perfectly controlled alcohol. Adding water slightly reduces the spice, enhances the sweetness (but also adds a hint of bitterness), and makes the texture creamier. Finish: Long, mildly spicy and sweet with a candy-like fruity tartness in the aftertaste. This distillery exclusive was released for the 2023 Spirit of Speyside Festival, and bottles are still available at the distillery. The 2024 Festival exclusive was a NAS called "107," which I didn't get to try. It was distilled in 2002, aged for 20 years in a 1st-fill sherry butt (distillery cask 3774), and bottled on February 15th, 2023. 636 bottles were filled at cask strength (54.3%). A superb example of classic, old-school 1st-fill sherry Glenfarclas. The nose is quite magnificent, and the palate is nearly as impressive. This is good sherried whisky, but not an overpowering sherry bomb. I noticed a slight astringency when watered, but it provided balance to the spicy-sweetness of the neat palate. "Excellent": 88/100 (4.5 stars).

It's wonderful when time reveals the merit of distilleries previously dismissed due to bias, especially when the prevailing wisdom suggests a second chance can reshape one's perspective. This is precisely my experience with Glenfarclas. Their standard offerings presented a red apple juice profile that, frankly, felt rather dull. However, my viewpoint has completely shifted. Having now sampled some of their less common expressions, I realize I've been missing out on some truly remarkable single malts. During my visit to the distillery, which is stunningly beautiful, I tried this 2002 vintage exclusive, bottled in 2023 for the Spirit of Speyside festival at 54.3% ABV. On the nose, a delightful aroma emerges, starting with 70-80% pure dark chocolate and red fruits, then unexpectedly introducing cardamom spice. Creamy vanilla, creamy ice cream, and an ethereal sweetness follow. The palate was marvelous: apple pie, fruit spice, cinnamon, and sweet pepper. Red apples and an impalpable sugariness. The finish was delicious and exceptionally long-lasting. Hay and a very sugary quality. It's akin to milk with sugar. Ultimately, this may be the finest Speysider I've encountered in ages. Its quality was such that I purchased a bottle directly from the shop. This is a significant compliment, given that Ecuadorian customs laws limit me to bringing back only four bottles of whisky. On a trip to Scotland, one must be exceptionally selective about the sole four bottles to bring home. My rating for this outstanding dram was 94 out of 100.