Epic Epicurious

I really like Glenfarclas. I love the balanced sweetness that the 12 YO I tried before so elegantly provided. It was a perfect dram if you wanted something not too complex, but still well thought-out and thoroughly executed. I was therefore excited to buy a bottle of the 15 YO and see what that had to offer.

Nose:

This is a very sweet whisky indeed. Caramel sweetness together with a very prominent sherry finish; grapes, oak, and sugar. There is a distinctinve creamy character as well. Apple-peel is also very distinctive. There might be some bourbon casks here, but they sure don’t leave much to be nosed if that is the case.

Taste:

Many flavours here. First a creamy river of sweet apples and grape-peel. Then there’s a subtle peatiness in the background. After that, oak returns with some delicious caramel and cream.

Verdict:

I think this is, quite literally, a delicious dram. It does not have the full-bodied complexity that you’d expect from its price, but it is has many qualities and is excellently balanced in sweetness and flavour. In other words, it’s very much like how I remember the 12 YO, although a little bit more oaky and full-bodied. I would not be the least surprised if there’s a bit of this in Ballantine’s Finest.

This would go just as well with a chocolate truffle and black coffee as with a delicious meat-based main course. I’d serve this with a raindeer filet and lingon berries.

If you’re the manly sailor-type who thinks that any malt that doesn’t have a phenol concentration of at least 25 ppm isn’t real malt, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re the kind who appreciates something well matured and sweet though, this is your dram to be sure.