When you are looking for an older, substantial Single Malt that isn't outrageously expensive, consider Glenfarclas 21. Intense fruitiness, green apples, gooseberries and hints of pineapple dominate the nose. Fresh herbs, heather honey and faint smoke of 'burned stuff' linger in the background, adding a pleasant complexity. The age of this malt shows in the taste: heavy cask influence with wood spices and tannins combines with fruits and vanilla, culminating in a lasting, nutty and slightly dry finish. A characterful and intriguing Speysider for sophisticated palates.

RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 88 pts → FIRST-CLASS

The 21-year-old Glenfarclas is available for a good price and that of course makes you curious whether this whisky is a real price / performance hit, or whether, despite the low price for 21 years of aging in sherry barrels, the whisky is not in his Home bar needs. It is amber-colored in the glass ... a whole lot lighter than 18-year-old Glendronach Allardice, who I had in the glass yesterday.

I immediately have a wonderful fruitiness on the nose. But not the cooked, dark fruits and plum jam with a very heavy sweetness from very active sherry casks, but rather a fresh fruitiness with red berries, sweet apples, orange and lemon peel. During the longer smelling, I have a touch of peach and pineapple, the apples are now drizzled with a little honey. The fruitiness is closely interwoven with a spiciness with pepper and a little cinnamon. Dark nut chocolate is now noticeable in the background and the wood of the oak barrels is getting stronger and stronger. Overall, a very pleasant load of aromas, the whisky is pleasantly soft and harmonious on the nose.

The Glenfarclas is very tasty in the mouth, a little pepper and a very slight ginger spiciness can be felt on the tongue but otherwise the whisky caresses the mouth ... soft, soft and a little too watery for my taste. The slight spiciness on the tongue feigns power, but the intensity of the aromas and the volume are simply missing compared to whiskys with a higher alcohol content. I also have the fruits of smelling in my mouth, but this time less sweet and less distinct, but sprinkled with pepper and a touch of cinnamon. The spiciness is more dominant than on the nose, the nut chocolate fades towards walnuts and coffee, a little bit of leather and tobacco are noticeable. The tannins get stronger and stronger, but after 21 years in oak barrels that's a good thing, otherwise you'd better grab a 12 year old whisky. Everything stays harmonious and soft in the mouth ... very pleasant, but somehow not really exciting either.

The finish is just about medium long with a little grapefruit, the aftertaste of sweet apples and a little cocoa powder. The tannins with slight influences of leather, tobacco and oak overlay the other flavors. A little too lax for my taste.

Overall, this is a really easy whisky to drink. I could imagine this wonderfully on a summer evening with friends. It has rather light, fresh aromas and no oppressive, heavy fruit sweetness. And yet it also has a spiciness and tannins, all of which are well integrated. This whisky is sure to please people who have nothing to do with whisky. Dangerously tasty! But: this is not a highlight for the discerning whisky drinker. There is a lack of intensity, abundance, rough edges ... this bottle was definitely not a bad buy! On the contrary, I think the whisky is really good for the price and I even like it better than the 25-year-old brother. A whisky that I like to have on hand for cozy summer evenings with family or friends.

I got 86/100 points.

Conclusion and pictures on: https://tomtrinkt.de

Considered by the PLV, my best from Glenfarclas. The difference to the 15: the 21 is more sweet and less sherry dominates. But more vanilla and therefore it has the better character of a distillery. Personal impression !

RATING: 87pts – |87 – 89 (B+) → Great| — Always nice to have a bottle of this.

If you are at the beginning of your whisky journey, stay away from Glenfarclas 21. In my humble opinion, a beginner is someone who tried less than 100 whiskies.

Overall, a bit more pleasing and sweeter than 25-year-olds, who have even more oak flavor and a slight acidity.
The 21-year-old is in full harmony. The icing on the cake would be if it had 46%, like the 15-year-old sister bottle.