"Hold the front page!" Glenfarclas 10 year old

Somewhat belatedly, the series begins. It begins with a curious acknowledgement; that for just under four weeks I have not tasted a single alcoholic beverage, and this is set to continue for a further few days. This post will thence comprise two parts, one written now, and another written later, with a dram (or two, for I may say now that I find this a very moreish whisky) for thought.

Why Glenfarclas? Why not begin with something a little more stereotypically suited to the initial foray of a person into whisky? I picked it because I wanted something affordable, interesting, and most of all because I wanted to like Speyside. I have had several bottles of whisky, and many drams in various bars prior to starting this series, and not once have the Speysiders charmed me. I recall once thinking a Glenfiddich 12 year old was so insipid I threw the remainder of a slow-sipped double down like a shot, and promptly made a fuss of ordering a Laphroaig from a  new bottle, given there appeared to be so little in the bottle on the bar. The one double Balvenie I've had was pleasant but given the quality of the other whiskies in said bar (Oban, Lagavulin, Highland Park, Talisker, Laphroaig, not to mention Black Label, Maker's Mark, and Woodford Reserve) it lacked interesting qualities. However, a bottle of Glenlivet 18 year old went down very well last summer, and particularly given recent experiences with the Linkwood of previous fame, that is something impressive. I have not got any notes other than vague diary mentions, but it seems to have been a good follow up to the previous whisky.

The problem I had was that the next two single malts I bought, the first two I kept proper notes for, were absolutely stellar, in very different ways. The first was a Highland Malt, Clynelish 14 y.o, and the second was Springbank's (Campbeltown) entry level 10 year old bottling. In comparison to the Glenlivet and even Highland Park's acclaimed 12 year old, they absolutely triumphed. There was so much scent, flavour, and texture that both bottles were great and varied experiences totally unlike any previous purchases. Therein lay the problem, however, that Speyside whiskies almost became pigeonholed in my mind because of previous experiences, they lacked the power and grandeur that I had come to seek in whisky. Perhaps a little fortuitously, the previous Linkwood did not do this. What it offered was very different, but no less intriguing than it's fantastic predecessors. The bottle suggested Speyside whiskies could be great too.

A little context.
Glenfarclas is an independent family owned and operated distillery famous for producing traditional style sherry matured Scotch whisky. Uniquely, it is the only distillery on Scotland to have been owned and run by the same family (the Grants) throughout its existence, and their ownership has been marked by an informed and outspoken attitude to developments and changes in the whisky industry. Take their requirement that all Glenfarclas whisky bottled and sold by independent bottlers cannot be sold with the Glenfarclas name on it. This is not only good business acumen because it keeps profits (particularly from 'collectors whiskies') in house but it highlights their understanding of how important the independence of the brand is to quality product in a market dominated by large multinationals, which have previously been the target of criticism over their quality standards. (See Jasonsscotchreviews for his thoughts on Johnnie Walker Gold Label reserve for an idea of what I mean here) I appreciate directness, because the welfare of customers is dependent on the communication between producer and consumer. No one wants to spend their money on a luxury, only to find it wrong for what they expected from their purchase.

Glenfarclas is widely recommended across the web, and perhaps that more than anything was why I picked it. Like I said, I wanted to find that level of interest and quality in a single malt that I had previously enjoyed, and from the commentary, it appeared to be a good place to start.

First Impressions
Nosing:: spiritous, malty, thick. I had an impression of nutty figs with a slight citrus cut, with a hint of spiced fruits, like homemade spiced mulled wine.To taste, this started slightly sweet, moving to a pleasant light spice like in the nose. Drying sherry lingered in the mouth, with notes of hard bonfire toffee coming through on the nose. Honeyed fruit, like stewed apples, followed by a not unpleasant lingering malty dryness- moreish like marzipan, but somehow drying without being sharp or harsh. As the malt sat, I also tasted rum soaked sultanas, dates, cherries, and dry wholemeal bread. Little hint of candied fruits.

This to me was a moreish whisky. It didn't initially seem to wow me, there was no breath-catching moment like unexpectedly meeting eyes with a striking girl, no brutally elegant power like the current Springbok XV(sorry Scotland!).I couldn't identify what made me want another sip, but the more I sipped, the more the taste and texture grew on me. I went as far as to have a second glass, which provided an outstanding companion to a good book.

Further thoughts.

I have to say upon coming back to it, that this has changed very little in the month or so since I last tasted it. This is very pleasant stuff, eminently quaffable, and indeed proof that  Speyside has something to offer me too. I like the light body and colour, like that of straw stubble at the onset of autumn. It presents a nice little contradiction to the mindset which says that a darker a whisky is, the stronger the flavours within. This compares favourably to my two star-compass malts when one remembers that it is only bottled at 40% as opposed to 46%, particularly Clynelish. I do wonder what this would be like at a higher strength, but to my mind there's a lot to be said for 40% whiskies. In this case, I think that the lower strength makes it an accessible and easy drinking dram, something that is pleasant to enjoy whilst in a relaxed state rather than being relaxed for the purposes of whisky enjoyment.

Finally, at only £30, this bottle has been excellent value for money. All whisky is a luxury, and it's very important that one gets a quality product whatever their budget, because if not then there are other luxuries which people might start to prefer to spend their money on. This bottle has undoubtedly been worth the outlay however, and I'm happy to pass on the recommendation of a friend to me.

Next up, the new Macallan Gold.

'The Prequel'- Linkwood 15 Years Old

In true British style, this blog will begin with a bit of a throwback- in this case it will be a bottle of fifteen year old Speyside malt, purchased in triumph some months ago. Upon tasting it multiple times amidst the rising heat and idleness of summer it occurred to me that it might be fun to adopt a less sporadic approach to whisky, given self's previous purchase range could fairly be described as somewhat scattergun. However, I decided that I should take it one step further and publish several series of doggerel documenting my discoveries about Scotland's whisky regions and their produce. To start this voyage of the amber oceans, there will be a short series on each of the Scottish regions which produce whisky, based around five bottles from each region, hopefully with observations and ideas which may illustrate the "novice" view of the whisky sphere.

Linkwood Single Malt, 15 Years Old, Speyside. Bottled by Gordon and MacPhail.
The purchase of this bottle pre-dates the blog plan, hence it should be viewed as a prequel to the upcoming series on Speyside single malts. I had in mind when buying it that I wanted to buy a higher quality whisky, specifically an older and more "niche" whisky. Something you'll never find in a supermarket. Hence I decided tin the shop to pick an independent bottling for the first time , and having read good things about it,selected this Linkwood. The case was advanced further by it's participation in Johnnie Walker Green Label, which I had previously enjoyed.

Upon looking back at the journal entries of a marvellous June, I see that my first palate note reads, "Puts me in mind of Johnnie Walker Green Label, without any thought of it beforehand. Peppery tinge. Finish oaken warmth, fresh baked brown bread. Dark sherry, little sweetness- honey coming through lightly-almost malted honey?" It proceeded to open up- that is, to present a more obvious progression through flavours of heather honey, berry fruit and sherry flavours, upon adding water. However I noticed at the time that "I could not discern layered flavours undiluted, they were locked away in a spiritous oak chest (with a tartan padlock)". Here then, was a complex array of flavours, scents, and textures which presented a challenge to my knowledge of whisky, and whilst I enjoyed it, noting that "it knocks the socks off Glenlivet 18 Year Old " which was my only previous Speyside purchase, the bottle presented the suggestion that to better enjoy such bottles in future, I would have to explore more. There was the inception of this blog.

I will put up some more malt musings later,and perhaps revisit this enigmatic creation in the mists of time. Next up however, the journey begins!

Prelude to a prequel

I'm just about to write a short introduction to this blog, in the form of a brief explanation of its initial purpose and conception.

As you may have guessed from the title, the inspiration for this blog is a particular variety of ardent spirit. Certain hawkeyes amongst you may also have reached the deduction that the spirit to be discussed originates in Scotland, owing to the spelling of said. This is not quite correct, as the items under discussion will not be constricted by geography insomuch as their value. However the initial focus of this blog will be to present several short series on whiskies distilled in Scotland, for the purpose of reference and hopefully amusement of anyone who cares to peruse the explorations of a whisky "newbie".