Glenfarclas 50yo
When the so-called Pattison crisis, glenfarclas distillery was co-owned by the Grant family and Pattison, Elder & Co. The coincidence of the names was completely unintentional. The bankruptcy of one of the co-owners posed a huge threat to the distillery's continued operation. Glenfarclas emerged unscathed, and the Grant family learned a lesson from the crisis to never again shareholdings or agree to go too far with outside investors and partners. One might be tempted to say that this tactic saved the distillery in the face of many subsequent crises, which history has not spared the Scottish distilling industry. Suffice it to mention the successive World War I, the world crisis, Prohibition in the US, World War II, and finally the gigantic overproduction crisis of the 1980s. The 10th century, which decimated Scotland's whisky factories. Glenfarclas survives.
No wonder, then, that great importance is attached to family traditions at this almost iconic Speyside distillery. This is reflected, among other things, in the special editions of whisky prepared to celebrate the anniversaries of individual family members. One such case we are dealing with right now. Indeed, the 50th anniversary of the career of one of the most important members of the family received a setting in the form of the launch of a 50-year-old whisky.
John Grant, representative of the fifth generation of Glenfarclas distillers, began work in 1972. Two years later, he began climbing the ladder of experience, functions and positions held in the Grants' family business, Glenfarclas. In 1979, the title Managing Director appeared on his business card, and in 2002, Chairman of the Board. In December 2022, a limited edition was released on the market Glenfarclas 50yo (50% vol.), prepared to commemorate his career in the industry.
Glenfarclas 50yo was created by selecting casks of whisky distilled in the late 1960s. The project was carried out in the 1970s by the distillery's current manager, Callum Fraser, and current managing director, Douglas Belford. And while few will get to taste this liquor, aged for 50 years in sherry casks, it is worth mentioning that its aroma consists of notes of marzipan, almonds, cedar wood, apple compote and dark chocolate. In taste, we can expect - if we are given the chance to taste it - silky smooth chocolate, toffee, smoke and citrus peels.
Only 836 individually numbered bottles were created, offered in decorative crystal bottles, packaged in elegant leather-lined cases. The purchase of a single bottle will involve an expenditure of £9,000.
Glenfarclas is one of literally a handful of old distilleries, with traditions dating back to the first half of the 19th century, that are still run as a family business. The Grants were not involved in running it from the very beginning; the distillery was founded in 1844 by a certain Robert Hay, their close neighbor. In 1865, the founder and previous owner of Glenfarclas died, and it was then that the distillery was bought for the sum of £511 and 19 shillings by John Grant, great-grandson of the modern-day jeweler bearing the same name. It is still in the hands of the family today.
The family nature of the business is not the only special feature of Glenfarclas. Tremendous importance is placed here on both the carefully conducted distillation process in huge, squat copper stills, giving the distillate the ability to be heavy, full and complex. This distillate is primarily aged in sherry barrels, which highlight and enhance this complexity and richness of flavor. The peculiar microclimate at the foot of the highest mountain in the area, Ben Rinnes, means that the notorious Angels allotment here settles at only half a percent per year, clearly less than the average in the Scottish distilling industry. This, in turn, means that the maturation process here is more calm, steady, and conducive to long-term maturation.
Glenfarclas is one of those distilleries that jealously protects its name and does not allow independent distributors to use it. The fact that it's not uncommon for the label to simply say something like "Whisky from one of Speyside's finest distilleries" is perhaps the best indication of the esteem that Glenfarclas-made whisky enjoys among independents.
On the shelves of the House of Whisky Online you will find a huge selection of whisky from Glenfarclas distillery. We invite you to visit.
[20.12.2022 / photo: Glenfarclas]