Yesterday, 6.5 month after I cracked the bottle open, I had another go. As my impression end of April was that high, I was wondering if it could stand to my expectation. It did - and more than that. For my humble opinion, this dram improved by breathing. The nose is a sheer beauty, that is perfume made of whisky! The taste aligned with the extreme quality of the nose and the finish was sheer endless, without the tiny bittery notes I traced the first time. To make it short, we have here everything related to the festive season: the rich fruitcake soaked with old cognac, mulled wine, speculaas cookies (Spekulatius), a lot of high quality liquorice, a deep sweetness but not cloying, big, robust and heavy but still elegant, many dried dark fruits and fresh raspberry dipped in cinnamon. Keeps all the time it`s perfect, compact texture and the everlasting juicyness. More smoke in the aftertaste, and after 5 minutes or so some mint comes out. Well, that is sheer brilliance, hell of an experience without the tiniest flaw. Therefore, my new rating is 99 points, had it previously on 98. 

Bottlers Notes:

Lovely dark teak colour.

A big, powerful nose with notes of dark fruits, berries and a hint of peat smoke.

Very light on the front of the mouth, dancing across your tongue as if it was eager to give you its sherry,honey, marzipan and burnt chocolate flavours.

Everlasting finish, with some caramelised toffee.

This whisky is so filling; your bottle will last a long time.

This is absolutely superb. The sheer number of flavours, and most of all, the balance, are stunning. I found 2 bottles for sale and only bought one - boy am I kicking myself now (although at nearly £700 each my wallet regrets it less). But this is a special whisky for a special occasion.  Only the best Karuizawas can match this in my opinion. Even then, this is less of the mushrooms and humus (though that is there blended in with the rest) and somehow more "refined" than the `zawas. A Glenfarclas Rolls Royce to the Karuizawa Jaguar. 

So now I can`t wait to try the 1965 first release that I also found at this store: "legendary" so they (well, Serge and Luc anyway) say....

Comments from Whisky House

1960, probably the largest available version of Glenfarclas. A vintage that deserves all the superlatives. The Family Casks Collection has 43 vintages (from 1952 to 1994) bottled to the natural degree. Within this range, it's the 1960 vintage that impressed us the most. We can even really talk about crush. His color, his nose, his mouth, everything is in unison. Force admiration Color : deep mahogany with greenish reflections. Nose : rich, complex. Aging in sherry cask in what it has more succeeded. Marked by prune, cherry brandy, shimmering spices, pinch of salt and notes of precious wood. It also refers to dates, blood orange and leather. It evolves on red fruits and zan. Palate : huge, exceptionally rich. A light, slightly burnt woody layer is covered with luscious notes of wild strawberry and dark chocolate. It develops on purple lilac, cardamom and fresh mint. Camphor adds a medicinal touch. Final : endless, sweet. Its texture is of great delicacy. It reveals old wood, cocoa powder and vine peach. It continues on linden, toasted walnuts and fresh figs.