Glenfarclas 40 Year Old

Forty years in oak is a long time to wait, and Glenfarclas has the patience for it. This 40 Year Old, bottled at 43%, is the distillery's grand statement, matured throughout in ex-sherry casks in the traditional way. Glenfarclas remains family-owned by the Grants, one of the last independent Speyside distilleries of its size, and that continuity shows in a whisky like this.

The distillery sits at the foot of Ben Rinnes in Speyside, and its whisky has always been defined by sherry rather than heavy peat or overt fruit. Direct-fired stills and decades in Spanish oak give the older Glenfarclas expressions a rich, brooding character. At forty years the spirit has taken on that prized Cognac-like rancio, the savoury, slightly funky note that only very old sherried whisky develops.

The nose is dense with dark chocolate, cigar box and raisin, threaded through with old oak furniture and leather, and after a few minutes those touches of rancio drift up. The palate delivers chocolate-orange brownie, coffee bean and chewy dried fruit, with cinnamon and black pepper flickering underneath. The finish runs long, thick with sherry and butterscotch before turning to Seville orange marmalade and ginger. It is polished and fully resolved, a whisky that needs nothing added.

Save this for a milestone, and drink it slowly enough to notice how it changes in the glass.

How to Serve

Neat, always, in a tulip glass. A whisky of this age has earned the right to be met on its own terms; give it air and time rather than water.

Where to Drink It

The Connaught Bar, for a setting that matches the occasion. Dukes Bar in St James's, quiet enough to concentrate. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood, for an armchair and an unhurried hour.

Food Pairings

Honestly, it needs no plate beside it, but if you must, a few toasted walnuts or a wedge of aged Comté, with a sliver of dark chocolate orange the only sweet indulgence I'd permit.