Review #64: Glenfarclas 17yr, OB, 43% abv

I hope there isn't a sulfur problem.


I hear (a) that 'farclas batches haven't been very consistent and (b) they 17yr isn't as good as the old 15yr or 18yr or whatever. So I'm a little worried ...

nose: citrus first of all, starting as a heavy orange syrup but then become more tangy, a bit of aspirin and bicycle tire, cinnamon, canned peaches, honey, birch bark, paprika, marzipan, maple syrup and faint smoke. overall it's a light, fruity syrup with a lot of subtle wood spice.

palate: ooh, very light. mostly peaches and rose hips, with just a little smoky/sulfury burn.

finish: honeyed sweetness for a while, but ends a little bitter.

No sulfur problem, although it's noticeable in there. (I'm pretty sensitive, however.) I would say that it's not great value for money, but I'm not sure what to compare it to anymore among middle-aged, heavily-sherried whiskies available in the U.S. Enjoyable stuff, if a little light and not particularly distinguished -- the nose had a lot of complexity but it didn't hold up. Too-low-abv might be the long and the short of it.

score: 85