[WHISKY TASTING] Glenfarclas 105° - A Rowdy Beast To Be Tamed, But Not By a Novice.

The world's first cask strength-bottling in modern times was the Glenfarclas 105°, born in 1968. 105 proof in the UK translates to 60%, hence the name. George S Grant wanted a really strong Christmas malt, and thought he'd release this monster as an experiment. To his surprise, the consumers loved it and wanted more. You can read more about the Glenfarclas distillery here.

For hardcore whisky connoisseurs cask strength is preferable to diluted 40 percenter's. This is largely due to the fact that alcohol is a carrier of flavors. Malt whisky goes to second distillation at around 70-72% but is watered down to 63.5% before it's put in barrels for maturation.

The experts believe that lower strengths accelerates the maturation process, and that higher strengths have the opposite effect. But more interesting is of course that the aroma's take different paths during the maturation process depending on the strength. 70% can result in more alcohol-soluble flavors; with more water in the barrel water-soluble flavors are promoted. It's true that lower alcohol neutralizes sulfur greater, while tannin extraction from the wood increases, especially in Spanish oak. Higher filling strength increases the concentration of esters. The interaction with the oak becomes more intense, and we get more vanilla, caramel and oak notes from the cask.

Around 46% is usually a sure indicator of quality. When a distillery choose 46% you know that the ambitions are high and that it's probably a carefully assembled single malt. The demand for stronger whisky is probably driven by the perception that it's a more natural product. Cask strength whisky sells on authenticity, you get a whisky as free from human manipulation as you ca possibly get.

At the same time, for the consumer cask strength is impractical, unbalanced and raw whisky that you often have to work a lot with and give some time to find the optimum level for fragrance and flavor. How much water should be added for instance? On the other hand, the path is the goal. A rule of thumb is to let the whisky air one minute per matured year. The trick with a cask-bottling is to drink it slowly and cautiously, with much-needed breaks in between the sips, to let the mouth rest. It should be a slow-paced and contemplative process.

Glenfarclas 105°

The whisky is a so called NAS (No age statement), but I have heard from reliable sources that it's matured for 10 years, 70% in sherry casks and 30% in ex-bourbon casks.

ABV: 60%
Age: NAS (but probably 10 years)
Region: Speyside
Price: Around 75-80 USD 

🐽 Nose: A lot of raisins and other dried fruits along with some spices. A distinctive sherry whisky then. Coffee and dark chocolate. Light spearmint or menthol. Undiluted it feels young and rowdy. With a little water it opens up and some fresh fruits can be discerned together with vanilla and floral notes.

👅 Palate: The alcohol shows itself again. Undiluted it's perhaps too much to handle, but the 105° can withstand plenty of water without feeling thin. After appropriate dilution and airing the fieriness is mitigated, and sweet sherry, a little honey, spices and nuts are allowed to arrive. The oakiness is almost overpowering when it kicks in, but without oak, no aftertaste! This is as far from a 'noob' whisky as you can get! Oily body, but still feels dry and oaky on the palate. Cinnamon and clove spiked with black pepper burns on the tongue. There's also more 'prickly' spices such as cayenne- and white pepper. I can feel the mint and the nuts somewhere in the mixture too.

🏁 Finish: In the long and oak dry aftertaste, there are traces of bitter orange when it ebbs out.

💡 Conclusion: This is a bit of a rowdy and mischievous young whisky that really needs to be aired (for at least 15 minutes) and properly watered down. It's a really nice and entertaining whisky that you need some time to get to know. However, it's neither the best sherry matured whisky I've tried, nor the best cask strength or the best from Glenfarclas, actually far from it. After all I think that Aberlour a'Bunadh is a more appropriate introduction to the world of cask strength whisky. It would be very interesting to try the significantly more expensive 20-year-old version of Glenfarclas 105°, as it has probably settled and become more balanced. The final score lands on 85 points.

 —  SteemSwede

Image sources:
www.whisky.com
tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com