Glenfarclas 105 (NAS)

 

Glenfarclas 105 (British proofing system for 60% ABV!) is one of the classical "sherry bombs" or "sherry monsters" - (ideally fully) sherry-matured Scotch, and preferably cask strength, like Aberlour A'Bunadh, Glendronach Cask Strength, and Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso. 

Glenfarclas is uncolored, non chill filtered, and fully matured for a minimum of eight years (although no age is stated on the bottle). Interestingly, they group themselves as a Highland distillery, even though they are technically within the Speyside area - I think they maintain that in the old days, "Speyside" didn't exist and so they are following the old naming system. 

Nose: Very rich! Sweet, dark fruit (plums, raisins), chocolate or cocoa, brown sugar. Malt. Bubblegum! A rubbery note, for sure. Floral hints - lavender, heather. Citrus bits, like candied orange. With water (and Ralfy, among others, highly recommends adding a lot of water to this. I am less convinced) ... it's extremely weak. Fruit and bubblegum, all other flavors fall away for me. 

Mouthfeel: Extremely syrupy and viscous. Long, thick legs on the glass. 

Palate: Fudge (especially with a very little water), toffee, dark red fruit, alcohol bloom (moderate, considering it's 60%). Very chewy - the mouthfeel is really present on the palate. The bubblegum comes through as well, perhaps resolving to a strawberry or currant jam. Green raisins. Perhaps even some coconut. A certain sulphur funkiness that's hard to explain. With water added, things become smoother and less interesting - brown sugar, red fruit, tannic dryness, sulphur reek. I like it better neat, despite the alcohol burn.  

Finish: The fruit dissolves and leaves leathery oak tannins that last for quite some time, a nice astringently bitter finish to counterpoint the massive sweetness that came before. With a little water, the oak aspect disappears and the finish is much shorter. 

Verdict: I really like this. Although the average score I find for the 105 hovers between 80 and 85 out of 100, I would score it a bit higher. There is a fantastic sugary richness with a lot of dimensions, both on the nose and the palate. It's not the "cherries, cinnamon, chocolate, raisins" bomb of A'Bunadh, but it has a distinct thing of its own going on. Worth exploring.