Reviews #112-114: Glenfarclas 12, 17 & 21

Glenfarclas is one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland. They sherry everything and I believe are the only distillery that direct fires their stills. In my early Scotch days, Farclas 12 was a favorite but hasn't been in my cabinet for a couple years now.

Glenfarclas 12

Speyside - 12 - Chill-Filter- NCA - Sample ($55) - 43%

Color - Chestnut

Nose - Figs and vanilla at the front, raisins, cloves

Palate - Sweet sherried fruit and little raw oak,

Finish - Medium short - More heat than there should be, Sweetness, spice, cloves, nutmeg

Overall - 5.5 - This is OK, I have better memories of this than it is. The touch of raw oak is distracting and throws it out of balance. It is OK for what it is but nothing special. The nose is generic, the palate is not great and the finish is a little short. I would reach for Balvenie or Macallan over this if you want this style.

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Glenfarclas 17

Speyside - 17- Chill-Filter - NCA - Sample ($100) - 43%

Color - Deep Copper - lighter than the 12? That is strange

Nose - Gooey butterscotch, apricots, touch of vanilla - it all takes a backseat to the butterscotch

Palate - stewed dried fruits (raisins, apricots), some spice, sweetness

Finish - Medium - Nutmeg and cloves with sweetness, not honey or fruit, just sweetness

Overall - 5.75 - Oh boy is this a huge step up from the 12. However, it falls flat in the complexity that I was looking for at its age. I enjoy this dram, it is very pleasant and easy drinking. But push comes to shove, I think I would buy Glenfarclas 105 and pocket the difference every time. On the other hand, I would chose this over Balvenie 17.

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Glenfarclas 21

Speyside - 21- Chill-Filter - NCA - Sample ($140) - 43%

Color - chestnut

Nose - A lot more restrained than the others - Kiwi, is that right? apricots, nutmeg, and custard

Palate - Figs, nutmeg, chocolate, orange

Finish - Long - Syrup, nutmeg, and spice

Overall - 6 - This is a lovely dram, very enjoyable. It doesn't really fit my style being low ABV and chill-filtered but it is doing what it wants to do well. This is a great approachable whisky that would be a great gift for the right person. I would love to have this cask strength as it would probably be a beautiful beast. If I do make a three figure "smooth" whisky purchase, which is unlikely, I probably would chose this.

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Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.

10 Best in Show

9 Great Dram for Special Occasions

8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection

7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood

6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale

5 I would drink it happily if offered

4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks

3 Maybe some soda will make this potable

2 I'll Pass

1 Toilet cleaner

Inclusive Ratings

Overall 6.1

Standard Deviation 0.91

Skew 0.66

Kurtosis -0.16