Independent, family-run and stocked with generations of whisky – Glenfarclas is driving the future of Scottish whisky-making

The great red doors at Glenfarclas herald an adventure ahead for new arrivals. They swing open at will and guard very few secrets for this famously generous family distillery. More than six generations have turned the key in the lock, and all the while steadfastly refusing to bend to mass production. This is a distillery that consistently delivers excellence in its range and turns tradition to its advantage.

A family business since 1865, the Grant family has personally shaped this historic single malt distillery through the centuries. It’s also one of the very few distilleries to have eight decades’ worth of whisky maturing in cask. There are, in fact, close to 70,000 casks maturing on site in traditional dunnage warehouses with stock from 1953 onwards. That’s a remarkable outcome in an industry that has seen takeovers and mergers become the common currency of progress. 

Glenfarclas relies on sherry maturation to create its edge. Each iteration of the whiskey breathes through the finest oloroso casks the family can source. Before that, the spirit will have been heated by flame on copper stills and had stones shaken from its barley in the malt de-stoner. Each stage of the production process is as close to tradition as possible and completely transparent. 

Glenfarclas has a core range of three whisky families: 

The Aged Range, which includes a 10-, 12-, 15-, 21-, 25-, 30- and 40-year-old release.

The Family Cask range, a series of annual releases from 1954 to 2002.

The 105 Cask Strength – a single bottling of one of Scotland’s first cask-strength whiskies.

Here are three bottles from our shelves to help you to get to know it better:

GLENFARCLAS 50

Not the oldest bottle in the Glencairn collection, but after five decades of maturation, this singular release of just 146 bottles is a remarkable thing. Dark and elegant, it’s housed in a Glencairn crystal bottle and a dark wood presentation box to best reflect the importance of the whisky inside. The people who can buy this bottle for drinking represent a very special grouping, lucky enough to get to taste the past and future of this important brand. Glenfarclas have enough stock in maturation to continue its run of five-decade releases and older but this particular bottle holds the spotlight for now. The fruit of a single oloroso cask It’s layered with caramel, hazelnut, butterscotch, spice and cream. It’s a rare thing of beauty, bottled at 40.6%.

GLENFARCLAS 105

It was in 1968 that Glenfarclas caught the tastebuds of its customers with this 60% cask release – surely one of the earliest commercial cask bottlings. Produced first as a gift for friends of the distillery it quickly garnered enough attention to ensure it continued as a commercial bottling and has never not been available – despite the complications in replicating the 60% ABV that is its cornerstone. The 105 refers to the now-disused British-proof alcohol measure (which is different from the US-proof measurement). 105 British proof equalled 60% ABV and the number has stuck. This is a hugely popular release, selling internationally and in great numbers. It’s rich and full-flavored with all the Glenfarclas character wrapped up in this stunning ABV. Definitely have water to hand.

GLENFARCLAS 15

This 15-year-old single malt could carry the Glenfarclas reputation all on its own. It’s a superb bottling with tons of character – all that rich fruity personality and lots of sherry notes that Glenfarclas is famous for. This is an incredibly good value release also, underpinning the quality that the team that produces it is releasing onto the market. 

It’s the third age statement in the Aged Range line-up after the 10- and 12-year-old and gives a great indication of what you can expect to find as the maturation increases in this line-up towards the 40-year-old. With an ever-popular sweet spot ABV of 46%, you can expect a really intense experience on the nose with lots of cream, fruit and sherry. The palate follows just as strongly with dark dried fruit, citrus and nuts while the finish is tremendous for a whisky of this age. A winner every time.

Click here to see all our Glenfarclas bottles