Last night was cold and the end of a long week. It was one of those nights where you park yourself in front of the TV to reflect on the week’s successes and enjoy the weekend with family. In light of that, I decided to treat myself to one of the drams in my collection that I like to save for such an evening.
Glenfarclas 15 Year – 46% ABV
I love the old fashioned bottle shape and labelling. It looks grand sitting on the table in front of me. The bottle is dark and doesn’t reveal a lot before you pour, but it adds to the anticipation. Glenfarclas doesn’t give a lot of sensory highlights on the package or bottle, and makes you experience it for yourself. I like that. Let the drinker have an experience without any pre-conceived notions.
One of the beautiful things about creating and building a whiskey collection is that you get to save some better drams so they feel like a real treat when you take it off the shelf. And this is a treat in more than one way. It’s a sweet Speyside, which defines many of the drams found here.
Chalked full of sherry and dried fruit makes for a flavour explosion! It has a syrupy, oily feel on the palette, which adds a mountain of richness. At the back, I get a hit of dark liquorice which makes for a nice finish. You feel all of the 46% ABV as it settles in your stomach. That pleasant little burn that allows you to experience it for a little while longer.
This is another one of those memory inducing drams that brings me back to sweet fruit cakes of holiday times. Of sitting around my grandparents place after a big dinner. I can still hear my uncle’s laughter at something foolish in the background, while some of us sip hot tea and eat dark fruit cake bursting with cherries and spice. Memories that can’t be lived again, but live on in a dram like this.
Now I am older and creating my own memories, while sipping on this lovely dram. Ain’t life grand!