Glenfarclas 25 Year Old – 70cl

Twenty-five years in Oloroso, and the whisky has stopped being about sherry.

That is the interesting thing about old Glenfarclas. The young expressions wear the cask openly; by twenty-five the wood and the spirit have stopped arguing and the whole thing has gone quieter and rather stranger. The nose is earthy before it is sweet — dried leaves, wet wool, a maltiness underneath — and only then do citrus and red apple arrive.

The palate is where it pays out. Warm apple tart, cinnamon, cooked blueberries, raisins and toffee, edging towards Christmas cake without ever getting heavy. At 43% it stays elegant instead of rich. The finish is long: chocolate cake, glazed orange, winter spice, a little oak at the very end.

Glenfarclas sit at the foot of Ben Rinnes in Speyside, still owned by the Grant family, and they have always priced their old stock more sensibly than almost anyone else in the region — a consequence of never having sold off the warehouses. A twenty-five-year-old single malt at this money is, frankly, an anomaly.

How to Serve

Neat, in a tulip glass, and leave it ten minutes before the first sip. No water — at 43% and this age there is nothing to open up and a good deal to lose.

Where to Drink It

Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood, which suits a whisky that wants an hour of your evening. Boisdale for the Scottish end of things. Dukes Bar in St James's if you want quiet and a proper glass.

Food Pairings

Honestly, nothing — this is a whisky that deserves the room to itself. If you must, a plate of aged Manchego and some Marcona almonds, and nothing sweet anywhere near it.