Distillery/Brand: Glenfarclas
Region: Speyside
ABV: 46%
Colour: Deep Gold
Nose: 23
Taste: 22
Finish: 22
Balance: 22
Review
I try and be as unbiased as I can before tasting a particular whisky lest I am swayed by it’s packaging, it’s age or glorious reputation. With the Glenfarclas 40 I was face to face with all three.
Strong strong sherry with grated ginger on the nose with a dark chocolate pounding. This is followed by dark figs, raisins and dry date husk brought together with a lovely burnt orange spiciness. A familiar, and reassuring, sherry inspired nose.
The palate. Oh, the palate. This is what I get for being presumptuous. I was expecting a crisp, full on attack of unexplored adventures instead I received a warm hug of familiarity. The palate is honest to the point of being almost mundane. Almost. The dark fruits, black pepper and maple syrup come together nicely. But nice is all they do.
The finish sees off a bit of woody spice and that date husk on the nose.
Oh, how I wanted this to sweep me off my feet. Never again.
Rating: 89
The Malt Activist 
I wonder if there’s much batch variance on this whisky. I was a big fan of this when I tasted. This is a whisky to scoop up NOW. The price is already climbing and will continue to do so.
I couldn’t get the vintage or the year of bottling when I tasted this one – I heard a lot of good things about this one too. I’m sure it’s a case of batch variance. But the question is which batch did I taste??