Glenfarclas 18 year old is another of the distillery’s travel retail offerings – though it is now commonly available elsewhere.
Nose: Very pronounced creamy fudge and toffee. There are lightly stewed stone fruits (peach) and some nice bite from lemon zest. Some quite strong malty aromas, vanilla and going a touch deeper – chocolate. Throughout there’s a certain dusty/mustiness to the whole affair.
Taste: Silky arrival and packed full of juicy fruits. Much more fruit-driven than the nose, we’re into oranges, tinned pear, mangoes, guavas and sour cherries. The creamy fudge and chocolate are still there, but taken down a notch compared to the fruit.
Finish: Medium with a touch of white pepper.
Despite only a year older than the 17 year old, this turns out to be a rather different Glenfarclas. The 18 year old emphasises fruit, fruit and more fruit, eschewing the heavier cask and spice notes found in the 17 year old. As a travel retail expression you’ll get a whole litre of this for roughly £75 which represents decent value vs. quality. Tasty stuff, but perhaps not as bold as other expressions in the distillery’s line-up.
Score: 84/100