Glenfarclas – 40 Years Old (70cl, 46%)

This is a 40 year old Glenfarclas, a Speyside single malt bottled at 46% ABV in a 70cl bottle. The nose is complex and concentrated, with old leather, nuts, raisins and dark chocolate, then dense orange marmalade, cinnamon, dates and polished wood. The palate is silky, oily and almost syrupy. Sweet Christmas cake and crystallised fruit are set against oak spice of clove and nutmeg, with hints of roasted coffee or tobacco. The finish is exceptionally long and gradually dries, with aged oak tannins, bitter cocoa, molasses and a lingering citrus note.