Whisky : Glenfarclas 9 Year, Dramfool “Glenmarvellous”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 58.3%

Cask : Oloroso Sherry Barrel

Age : 9 Years (Distilled 23 Nov. 2011, 22 March 2021)

Nose : Chocolate, caramel, and fruit.  Notions of chocolate caramels, chocolate-covered cantaloupe, Fudgesicle bars, and espresso ice cream interspersed with grapefruit and pomegranate seeds.  The unctuous aroma was almost effervescent at times with impressions of hot cocoa and marshmallows.  A few drops of water brought out more tobacco, dried fruit, and espresso.

Palate : Full-bodied and oily with stewed stone fruit, pastries, and chocolate.  Syrupy stewed dates, figs, and prunes over warm sticky buns with chopped walnuts.  Chocolate undercurrents rose on the mid-palate with cocoa and cinnamon hot chocolate.  Hints of bitter orange, grapefruit, and cherries appeared around the edges, while peach upside-down cake with gooey caramelized stone fruit came to mind.  At the end was a sweet rich cola note that lingered on the palate.

Finish : Lingering cola and spiked hot chocolate.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Backyard Dessert: Hot Chocolate and Grilled Peaches

Notes :  If Glenfarclas were like this more often, I would count myself among the distillery’s fandom. This Dramfool “Glenmarvellous” was unbelievable; it was incredibly complex and remarkably easy to drink after less than a decade in a first-fill Oloroso sherry barrel. It stood as proof of the saying that age is just a number and that you should never judge a dram only off the number of years it spent tucked away in some shed, warehouse, or semi-industrial lot.

I first tried a blind sample of the Glenmarvellous in Marsh 2021 during an online tasting with Bruce from Dramfool. The tasting featured a set of six blind drams, including a PX sister cask to this, a Lochindaal, and a pair of elderly teenage Port Charlotte. This Glenfarclas was just about the unanimous choice for best of the evening (the Lochindaal had a couple of votes, too), and I absolutely could not believe it was Glenfarclas after the reveal.

Fast forward six months, and I ended up with a bottle. I could not wait to try it again to see if my initial impression still stood the test of time. It did. In fact, this was even better than I remembered. Overall, I do not often find a sherry-driven dram that I love, so I was thrilled with this bottle. The cocoa notes gave a through-line from the nose to the palate, while sweet caramelized fruits, pastries, and cola gave distinct layers to the flavor profile.