Birthday Booze: Glenfarclas 43 year old Cognac Cask matured

I interrupt your regularly scheduled Highland Park cluster program with birthday booze! Sorry, folks, it's an annual thing. There will be both curios and sensible choices this year. Today's whisky fits into both categories.

Bottled in May of 2010, thus distilled in 1967 or earlier, this Glenfarclas comes with a label that doesn't specify whether the whisky spent its entire life in cognac casks or just a smaller portion of its maturation time (though it may be related to this bottling). Having now completed the tasting, I'm going to posit that it very well may have been the former. It is unlike any whisky or brandy I've tried.

Distillery: Glenfarclas
Ownership: J&G Grant
Region: Speyside (Central)
Age: minimum 43 years old (1967? - 14 May 2010)
Maturation: Cognac casks

Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 40.7%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

It's a lovely, earthy, old hybrid spirit in the nose. At first, it's papaya, toffee, toasted walnuts and toasted oak. Then it picks up notes of Sauternes and dried cheese. (No I'm not going to say "rancio".) Then dried rosemary and coriander. After an hour it's funky honey and a worn out dollar bill.

The palate begins with gentle old oak, honeycomb and ripple of lime zest. Then, for almost twenty minutes, it is liquid honey. At the 43-ish minute mark, it shifts gears, taking on black licorice, dark chocolate and menthol, with hints of cigarettes, apricots and loquats in the background. The figs arrive, floating around in then honey after an hour.

It has a long full finish with the figs and honey arriving after the first sips, 30 minutes in. Bitter chocolate-covered pennies and sweet oranges appear later on.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I wonder if the whisky world will ever see anything like this again. If so, it would have to come from a relatively independent distillery like Glenfarclas. Hopefully someone tries it, because the resulting quality of this experiment was very high.

Like the ultra-aged G&M Glen Grants, this Glenfarclas registers gloriously rich even at 40.7%abv. It was almost profanely honeyed in the mouth; then fruits (figs and -quats), ancient oak and a puff of smoke join in, making each small sip fascinating. But that's nothing compared to the nose, where it was a glass-bound but puckish changeling, destined to sprout wings and fly away if I let it sit any longer.

Which is to say, I kinda liked the stuff.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - About 3x-4x its original price. Time machine, people!

Rating - 92

Highland Park 28 year old 1988 Cadenhead Small Batch

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

Welcome to the 1980s, the decade that never ever goes away! I'm going to duck in and out of the '80s over the rest of the cluster. I'm hoping that's a good thing when it comes to Highland Park single malts.

The 1988 Highland Park vintage releases have been well received by the much-read and much-supplied online reviewers. A few of these '88 HPs made it to The States, though all I know about them is that their color was dark and their prices high, and often the latter is linked to the former. I won't deny that I dreamed of someday trying one. And now look at me living my dreams! This whisky was sold in the US, is of a color that would tickle the fancy of many, and was priced somewhere between $300 and $400. As if I could restrain my expectations...

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Islands (Orkney)
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Small Batch (as in one cask)
Age: 28 years old (1988 - 2016)
Maturation: sherry butt

Outturn: 480 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 55.5%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Yeah, it does what it says on the label. The nose starts off with salty peated toffee pudding, then chocolate melting in the double boiler. Then there's the white fungus growing all over Cadenhead's dunnages, followed by a bit of meat, and a hint of burlap. The peat stands up to the hefty cask throughout. Reducing it to 46%abv brings out plenty of new characteristics. There's whole cloves, fruity cinnamon, barbecue smoke, toasted seaweed, and cherry pie (filling and crust!). There's even a hint of watermelon Jolly Rancher in the background.

This whisky reminds me that I have not had many 25+ year old sherried whiskies recently. Nuts, briny peat and mild cigar start off the palate. Fresh berries and black cherry soda (essences, not the sugar) arrive later, followed by fresh in-season black plums. At 46%abv the big smoke stands up to the big sherry cask, and they align nicely. Oranges, serrano chiles and yellow nectarines fill out the background.

The peat continues to build into the finish. A charcoal barbecue at the park. Machine shop. Plums and sea salt. At 46%abv the finish holds onto that mix of chiles, sweet fruit and muscular smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Now if Highland Park's contemporary single casks were like this......they'd be $1000. But this is great. The cask is loud, but it's a honey. And the smoke is impressively fierce at this age. This style would probably appeal to Glendronach "single cask" and old Macallan fans, if they're not afraid of smoke. I don't foresee ever spending this sort of cash on a bottle (don't look at what the 1988s go for on The Secondary), but if I did it would have to meet this standard at minimum. If you picked up a bottle when it first came out, please enjoy your indulgence and spread the love.

Availability - Not in the primary market
Pricing - It's not real money, right?

Rating - 90

Highland Park 22 year old 1990 AD Rattray, cask 577

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

Let's bid the '90s adieu with today's sherry butt from the AD Rattray folks. I'm not sure what my expectations are for this whisky. ADR has had awful sherry casks and excellent sherry casks. This particular liquid has a moderate gold tint (ignore the terrible pic below), so perhaps it wasn't a dead butt, and perhaps it won't be ultra-tannic. Perhaps I'll just be moderately geeked for this.

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Islands (Orkney)
Independent Bottler: A.D. Rattray
Age: 22 years old (3 December 1990 - 17 April 2013)
Maturation: sherry butt
Cask number: 577
Outturn: 565 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 58.1%
(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

The nose has so much burn that I have to leave it alone for 30 minutes. After that I find toasted nuts and Corn Nuts. Ocean and caramel. Hints of flower blossoms and Chambord. There's also some butterscotch and apricot, but one has to plow through the heat to find it. Diluted to 46%abv, the whisky is more navigable. Green apples, dried apricots and vanilla pudding up front, toasted oak in the back.

The palate is very hot and very salty. Limes, raspberries and cayenne pepper fill in the midground. Winey tannins in the background. Again, it's more accessible at 46%abv. It's still peppery, salty and tart, but there are some new sweeter apple notes. It's more dusty than smoky.

My notes for the finish match those of the palate. At 46%abv, it's all black pepper and sweet apples.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This one underwhelmed, especially compared to the Highland Parks that precede and follow it in this cluster. It reads like a second- or third-fill butt that was not re-seasoned like many "refill" sherry butts today. It's reminiscent of those brutal green glass Cadenheads from days of yore, not in terms of quality, but in terms of burn. Once diluted, it's more comfy, but never more than that, reading like something that could have gone into a batch of Famous Grouse. For a different angle. see the Whiskybase community's enthusiasm.

Availability - Long gone
Pricing - ???

Rating - 82 (diluted only)

Highland Park 21 year old 1992 Gordon & MacPhail (my bottle)

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

I had to open up something for this cluster, and this bottle had "FFS, Open Me" written all over it. I found this thing sitting on a shelf six years after it arrived in the US, at its original price. It wasn't cheap, but it also wasn't much more expensive than the rebranded official 18yo "Viking Pride". That's a win, nowadays. It's from a refill American hogshead, which was the main reason I was able to find it at all. Scotch taters ain't climbin' over each other for a hoggie.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Cask Strength

Age: 21 years old (2 September 1992 - 14 January 2014)

Maturation: Refill American Hogshead

Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from my bottle, from the top third)

NOTES

The nose begins with so much fruit: guava, grapefruit and apricots. Then soil, wet sand and kelp. A little bit of dunnage in the background. Horseshit. I mean, actual horse poop. Diluted to 46%abv, the nose is positively loaded with stone fruits and tropical fruits. Gravel, citronella and ground cloves in the middle. Almond extract and dunnage in the background.

Oh my, the palate has the nose's guavas and grapefruits. And mango! And yuzu (you knew that was coming)! The fruits merge with minerals, hay, toasted sunflower seeds and almonds. At 46%abv, the palate is slightly peater and tarter, more of a fighter. A swirl of sweet mango and tart guava juices in the background.

Perfect balance of sweet and tart fruits in the finish. Then there's gravel, crisp smoke and a farmy hint. It gets smoker once reduced to 46%abv, with plenty of tart limes and yuzus to back it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Was this one of those secret casks we weren't supposed to talk about? Well, it's been seven years, so...

This is fabulous. This is the American oak cask to beat for the whole HP cluster. It's exactly what I hope for when trying a non-sherried Highland Park. The nose has all the good things working together in unison, then somehow the palate mirrors it. It's probably the guava-est whisky I've ever had.

How much did I like it? Well, I consumed it so enthusiastically during the tasting that I had to delay this post for a day. I wanted to write about it with a clearer head, but here I am raving about a whisky coming from my own cabinet.

Availability - USA, though it might be sold out
Pricing - $180-$250

Rating - 91

Undisclosed Orkney Distillery 21 year old 1999 Infrequent Flyers, cask 5743

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

I tend not to review whiskies that were solely aged in Pedro Ximenez casks because that style does not appeal to my palate. So what I have here today is a whisky doubly aged in Pedro Ximenez casks. Yes, this is a single cask (a debatable phrase to begin with) that was aged first in a PX cask, and then aged for a second period of time in a second PX cask. As in Yo Dawg I Heard You Like......etc.

It's also maroon colored. So all I have to say is

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Islands (Orkney)
Independent Bottler: Alistair Walker Whisky Company
Range: Infrequent Flyers
Age: 21 years old (1999 - 2020)
Maturation: PX Sherry Puncheon, then PX Sherry Finish
Cask number: 5743
Outturn: 674 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.0%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

I find nothing but prune juice and Worcestershire sauce on the nose for the first ten minutes or so. Smoky ham and grape jam follow next. Then milk chocolate, rosewater and pickle brine. Once the whisky is diluted to 43%abv, the nose turns both meaty and sugary, and slightly farty. Ocean brine, copper and bubblegum linger in the background.

Meanwhile, the palate isn't too sweet. It has a decent HP peatiness, notes of ginger beer and table red wine perch in the middle, hints of grilled brined poultry and herbal bitterness in the background. At 43%abv, it's salty and smoky with tart berries up front, savoriness and sweetness in the back.

The finish is sweeter than the palate. It also has both tart and bitter citrus notes and a little bit grape jam. The smoke seems to have vanished. When reduced to 43%abv, it gets ashy and savory.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

At least this was an experience. The nose was even loonier than The Dark, making me worried about about the palate. But the palate turned out to be straight-laced in comparison. It was savory and gamey rather than grape jammy, if you'll allow the words. The smoke integrated well, and the finish wasn't half bad. I would even considering sipping it again. But maybe not a third time. And that's about as high of a compliment as you'll find me paying a PXed whisky. 

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - €150-€210 (I think)

Rating - 84

Undisclosed Orkney Distillery 20 year old 1999 Infrequent Flyers, cask A324-4

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

I was going to start this post with a paragraph-long diatribe about how disappointing this cluster has been, but then I went back and actually looked at the reviews and realized I had nothing to be disappointed about. What did I really expect from those three 64+%abv sherried creatures? Meanwhile, this series has already included three 89-90 point whiskies, and the cluster as a whole averages well above this blog's mean score. So I should save my complaints for something more important, like my terrible electric cooktop. It's terrible.

Started by Alistair Walker (formerly of Tobermory, Benriach, and Glendronach distilleries) in 2018, the Infrequent Flyers range has rolled at least forty single casks into the market in just over two years. Like most indie bottlers, Walker has been burdened by the whole "Undisclosed Distillery" situation; with about 18% of AWWC's whiskybase listings showing that U-word on their labels. I will be reviewing two of the Orkneys, one today, one on Friday.

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Islands (Orkney)
Independent Bottler: Alistair Walker Whisky Company
Range: Infrequent Flyers
Age: 20 years old (1999 - October 2019)
Maturation: Hogshead
Cask number: A324 #4
Outturn: 303 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.1%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

At the start, this cask shows it's related to Monday's HP, with Frosted Flakes and toasted grains and nuts on the nose. But then it turns directly to a salt+pepper+ocean note that reads Talisker-esque. More character appears with time: roses, citronella, cotton candy, white peaches and stroopwafel. Dropping the abv to 43% neither damages nor improves matters. The roses, white peaches and stroopwafel remain. Some kiwis show up, as does a hint of incense smoke.

Dried oregano and tangy lemons appear first in the palate, followed by peppercorns, barley and moderate smoke. Hints of wort and ultra-bitter IPA hide in the background. Again, nothing changes much once the whisky is reduced to 43%abv. There's a little more smoke and dried herbs, and perhaps a hint of metal, but otherwise it's the same.

Black pepper, herbal bitterness and a slight yeasty worty note make up most of the finish, with a lemony smoke aftertaste. At 43%abv, this finish matches the palate, aside from a little bit of tart stone fruit.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

When tried side-by-side with Monday's 18yo Orkney, this 20yo won out. This one actually read younger, not like a dead cask, but rather closer to the spirit, a thing I like. As noted above, it felt like Talisker's cousin with its coastal peppery style. If the palate had some of the nose's fruits, I'd be drooling all over my keyboard. Without those fruits, this whisky stalls at the Quite Solid Stuff stage. It's a decent altitude, but Highland Park can frequently fly much higher.

See what I did there? Yeah, I know, amazing.

Availability - Pretty close to selling through in Europe
Pricing - €135-€190

Rating - 85

Stones of Stenness 18 year old 1999 Single Cask Nation, cask 453

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

This week brings three we-can't-call-it-Highland-Park Highland Parks distilled in 1999. I think all the cluster's HPs after this week were deemed satisfactory enough to carry the distillery's name, or were bottled before this no-name foolishness began.

Today's bourbon barrel-aged Highland Park was bottled by Single Cask Nation. Since they couldn't call it Highland Park, the fellas named it after an ancient Orkney henge, Stones of Stenness, not to be confused with the Stones of Dennis.

Stone placement is ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting by a simple majority.

Now onto another farcical aquatic ceremony.

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Islands (Orkney)
Independent Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Age: 18 years old (November 1999 - May 2018)
Maturation: bourbon barrel
Cask number: 453
Outturn: 186 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 54.8%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins pleasantly. Grains and nuts. Apple pie, Frosted Flakes and a snuffed cigar. After 20+ minutes, it gains a briny peat note, and some peach peels. Reducing it down to 43%abv, brings out more fruit, specifically peach juice and dried apricots. No smoke, maybe some almond extract. Reminds me of Glenburgie.

Black pepper dominates the palate, with barley and herbal bitterness somewhere in the middle. Lime popsicles and ash in the background. Sadly, the palate does not get fruiter when diluted to 43%abv. Instead it gets bitterer and tarter, with a metallic note in the background.

There's more smoke in the finish, less pepper, more lime popsicles. At 43%abv, it's bitterer, smokier and drying.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The nose engages at full and reduced strength, holding onto its vibrancy even after 45 minutes. It was a cool, retro choice not to finish this whisky in a juicy second cask, instead releasing it as is. But (I can't believe I'm saying this), I don't think a secondary maturation would have hurt it. The palate needs a boost. It could have used some of the nose's fruits and nuts, or maybe a few years in a moderate sherry cask, or even a rich bourbon cask. I'm not sure that more time in this particular barrel would have added anything positive. Still, kudos to SCN for bottling a nude Highland Park.

Availability - Sold out?
Pricing - $190-$210 (wat?)

Rating - 82