Glenfarclas 8 years '105'

About the Glenfarclas 8 years '105'

Glenfarclas 8 years '105' is a cask strength single malt Scotch whisky from Speyside, Scotland. The Glenfarclas distillery bottles it at a bold 60% ABV, well above standard strength. Its name comes from the old British proof scale, where 105 proof equals that strength. This is whisky meant to be poured neat, built for drinkers who want sherry cask richness at full strength. Expect dried fruit, orange zest, and a deep sherry sweetness from the very first sip. Glenfarclas has stayed in the hands of the Grant family since 1865. John Grant bought the distillery that year, and his descendants still run it today. That makes Glenfarclas one of the few truly independent distilleries left in Speyside. The distillery sits at Ballindalloch, drawing its water from the Ben Rinnes hills nearby. Six stills, the largest number on Speyside, are heated directly by gas rather than steam. That older method shapes the weight and character of every Glenfarclas single malt. On the palate, Glenfarclas 8 years '105' leans hard into its sherry cask maturation. Raisins and sultanas, fig, and dried fruit cake flavours dominate the first taste. Chocolate and fudge add a rounder, malty sweetness underneath the fruit. A trace of cherry and citrus, plus grapefruit and orange zest, keeps it from turning too heavy. Gingerbread spice and a faint medicinal edge round out the finish. Warm alcohol carries it all, exactly what you would expect at 60% ABV. At eight years old, this expression is younger than many other Glenfarclas bottlings. Cask strength gives it real presence despite the shorter maturation. Drink it neat and let the glass sit for a minute before the first sip. The high ABV carries the sherry, fruit cake, and gingerbread notes further than a standard malt could manage. Glenfarclas built its reputation on bottlings exactly like Glenfarclas 8 years '105': honest, sherried, and unmistakably Speyside.