Whiskeytemple_Vladimir 
Glenfarclas 1973 Family Cask Release VIII
WOW! How else would I start an article about a whisky, which is almost 40-year-old? I don’t know if I could express in appropriate way the emotion of holding such an old whisky. In your head immediately start racing thoughts about how much the world has changed, while the liquid was resting in the sherry cask. I figured out that in the time when the whisky was distilled /1973/ my parents were about 12-13-years-old, and was „minus 11 years old“. And here the people from Glenfarclas, contrary to the modern trends have managed to save these valuable and delicious beauties from the contemporary rush for immediate sales and income generating, which conquered the world, and they present us this whisky 38 years after its distillation.
The article started with a lyrical deviation, but it cannot be otherwise. In recent years there is a tendency of offering a whisky without an age statement for various reasons and seeing the age of 38 on the bottle’s label is a great privilege and happiness. How did this happen to me? In February „Optimist 1“, which are the official importer of Glenfarclas and other alcoholic beverages /including the Glencairn whisky glass/, organized a wonderful tasting event, including a number of classes, one of which was led by Ian McWilliam /part of the Glenfarclas team/, where we tasted /I poured them into samples/ five wonderful distillates, the pearl among which was the Glenfarclas 1973 Family Cask Release VIII single malt whisky. Similar classes of Glenfarclas have also been held in the previous years and anyone, who has visited them knows that people from the distillery carry one or more special bottles for the event, as a surprise to us – the fans. This year it was one of the 456 bottles filled from sherry cask /hogshead/ № 2598, part of the Glenfarclas ‘Family Cask’ series / I wrote about the history of the brand in the article about the 15-year-old Glenfarclas, and if you want to read it, you can find it via the search engine/. The special feature of this series is that the bottles are filled from one single cask, as such „reserves“ are available from the 50’s, and up until now. The whisky is non-chill filtered, comes in its natural color /a specific feature of Glenfarclas/, and in this case, at the cherished cask strength of 56,5% ABV, which I can say are not so tangible and the whisky is quite mellow. The price is not an element of pleasure, but I’ll mention that it might be more than 500-600 EUR, and such events are exactly the place where we, the mere mortals can enjoy them /so my friendly advice is to visit them, to encourage the importers to please us more, and to pamper ourselves/. The bottle was poured out to the last drop into the glasses and while the others were sipping the whisky in the relatively early afternoon, I poured the content of my glass into the well-known sample bottles with white label, to review it a few days ago in a more relaxed atmosphere, which is most appropriate for a whisky of this caliber.
Here’s what I found during my contact with this dark brown liquid, reminiscent the colour of Demerara rum or maple syrup:
Aroma – strong woodiness, also such liqueurness and sweetness, plenty of dried prunes, „earth notes“, even a scent of Coca Cola, spiciness /black pepper and nutmeg/, maple syrup, thick and sweet, thick caramel topping, ripe black grapes, but of those meaty and sweet varieties, whose broken grains leave thick and sticky juice, coffee /cream with coffee or coffee liqueur/, cocoa, peaches, leather /not human or pig, of course, but such of a furniture/, more sweetness, which intensifies along with the memory of coffee, baked fruitcake with strawberries and blackberries, light „minty“ aroma /because of the high alcohol content/ and light acetone. Although the whisky has an alcohol content of 57%, I didn’t add water. First, because the water does not affect very well the chemical bonds in old whisky and the sample is small as amount, which would be a sin to waste, and second – because the whisky is quite palatable and this way. Taste – peppery, slightly „biting“ the tip of the tongue, then the mouth is filled with warm saliva from the yumminess in the glass, sweetish, slightly peaty /rather a memory of wet earth/, strongly woody, light bitterness, fruity nuances of dried fruits, a coconut hint appear wth longer spinning the whisky around the mouth. Finish – lasting, an association with peat again, warming, malty sweetness, wax, a memory of juicy grapes and strong memory of sherry.
Assessment: 87-88/100.
