Glenfarclas 1988 Single Oak Cask: A Powerful and Uncompromising Tribute to Pure Scottish Malt
Glenfarclas single oak cask vintage 1988 is a hard, pure Speyside whiskey that was made to bring out the flavor of the malt, not to make you fall in love with it with spices and extras.
We are talking about a very alcoholic Scotch whisky, bottled cask strength as it comes out of the barrels, with an alcohol content of 58.8%. It’s not a good distillate for people who don’t like a certain Gaelic fire, but a few drops of water help, not only to make it more human in terms of gradation, but also to figure out what the flavors of this son of malt are.
How is the Glenfarclas single oak cask vintage 1988 made?
It comes from the 1988 vintage, and after a double distillation, it rested in barrels for 11 years before being bottled in 1999. We drank it today, so this 32-year-old distillate doesn’t appear to be that old. It still has a very quick step, a freshness that is unheard of, and all the shady power of a thug.
The bouquet of the Glenfarclas single oak cask vintage 1988
Very clean, terse nose, created to enhance the malt notes and the primordial aromas of toasted barley, Speyside water, herbs, hay, and flowers of this fairy land. We tell you right away: if you are looking for a creamy, spicy, or sly whiskey, we are light years away. There is not the slightest search for flattery in this powerful Scottish single malt. It’s like a hymn to malt: a few spices in the background, flowers in abundance, herbaceous air in evidence, very sharp fruit with citrus tones, but clean and never overripe. It has a slight note of dried fruit, oxidized, but barely. You will not even feel the memory of wood; the refinement was carried out in used barrels, and certainly not with a thousand spicy or smoky scents.
The taste
In the mouth, it starts strong; it attacks you with its bold alcoholic charge; it bites on the palate with a mentholated freshness; it has spicy tones that pierce your tongue. If you add a spoonful of water, the situation improves a lot; it opens up; the fruit is more relaxed and less nervous, giving splendid flavors of pears and yellow fruit; but the tone is always austere; don’t expect softness or sumptuousness.
As mentioned before, the aim is to enhance the malt in all its purity. So let’s see what colors this malt takes on: the flavors are of biscuits, walnuts, and hazelnuts; raisins in alcohol; dates; and again, more docile tones of pepper and cinnamon return this time. The structure is impressive, not only for the alcoholic perception but also for the quantity of matter, the taste, and the extent of the returns. The persistence is phenomenal, the charm undeniable, but it is certainly not an easy-to-approach single malt whisky. The more you taste, the longer it takes, and it never lets you go.
It pushes you towards a comparison; it doesn’t console you, but rather it stimulates you to take on a critical point of view that single malts often don’t have, given that they tend to be compliant. In this case, the situation is reversed: if you want to try a distillate of spirit and character, this Glenfarclas single oak cask vintage 1988 is a great challenge.
It doesn’t have peat or sea salt from Scotland, but it’s still a hard whisky, a tribute to Scotland, and a clear example of how Speyside can flex its muscles and make rough, rock whiskeys when it wants to!
Not suitable for those who have never tasted whiskey or newbies; they could get burned.
Price
It is rare to find; it is a precious bottle, produced in a very limited edition, and the cost proves it too. Auctions start at 450 euros and go up to 700. If you buy it for $500, it’s a great deal, and even if you’re not a drinker, its value will only go up over the years.
Which dishes to combine?
Chocolate, salmon terrine, brisket and pulled pork, chocolate salami, apple pie
