Whisky: Glenfarclas 50 Year (1966), TBWC “Speyside #1” for 10th Anniversary

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 52.5%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 50 Years (Distilled Sept. 1966)

Nose: Rich and spicy, leather, baking spice, white lily and musk, rose hip, botanical, meatier over time, cured duck breast, mala spice, cream, subtle herbal rooibos tea.

Palate: Medium-bodied, tobacco and spice chest, lacquered wood and antiques, subtle florals, sweet cured meat and mala spices, jammier over time, water brought out more cassis with hints of vanilla, rooibos tea on a mildly fruity herbal finale.

Finish: Long and lingering with fruit, wood, and herbal tea.

Score: 9-10

Mental Image: Apothecary’s Botanical Garden Picnic

Narrative & Notes: An apothecary’s spice chest of nutmeg, cinnamon, rose hip, white lilies, musk, amber, and annatto seeds wafted from the glass. A meaty richness joined the botanicals as sweet cured duck breast, iron, pepper, and mala spice developed. More herbal-floral qualities joined the meat with creamy soft winter cheese, hibiscus, and rooibos tea. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile drifted between layers of wood, spice, florals, and jammy fruits. Polished rosewood or burning sandalwood touched down first with a peppery-cinnamon arrival that quickly opened onto rich tobacco, elm, nutmeg, and old polished leather. More floral on the mid-palate with mala and more subtle sweet cured meat than on the nose, jammy cassis waited near the end but came on brighter with a few drops of water. Rooibos tea appeared on an herbal and slightly floral long finish with fruit and wood.

Whenever I approach a whisky over 30 years old, I know there is a risk I might get splinters— perhaps not real ones, but metaphorical splinters from the heavy tannins or bitter oak that can creep into the whisky after such an extended maturation. Every year over thirty, the risk grows along with the price point. There are tried and true ways to play the odds— looking for larger cask formats, higher abv, and refill cask maturations are often clues that the influence of the oak has been kept at bay. Yet, the best way to avoid picking splinters out of the palate is to go with bottlers you trust.

My trust level for TBWC leveled up with this malt— the starring centerpiece of a 10th Anniversary tasting at Sydney’s Oak Barrel. Distilled back in September 1966, the malt was disgorged several years back and kept in glass so TWBC could bottle it for a special event. What is more special than celebrating a birthday?

Overall, this was a stunning whisky and precisely what you want from a rarified half-century-old unicorn. The aroma was rich with a lovely evolution between meat, cream, spice, herbs, and botanicals. At the same time, the palate featured well-integrated wood, berries, and rooibos tea. The structure and depth of the malt were astounding, and, while the whisky needed no water, I found water further intensified the flavors, highlighted a jammy richness to the fruit, and extended the herbal tea through for a long finish. I am not sure I will top this age statement soon, not until serendipity strikes again.