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.