Glenfarclas 2002 Family Cask Willow Park Exclusive Review

Glenfarclas 2002 Willow Park Wines Exclusive Family Cask Release - 60.6% abv. - Bottle 023 of 607 from cask 2196

This dram is a special one. It is an exclusive cask that was done by Willow Park Wines and Spirits with Glenfarclas and released under the Glenfarclas Family Cask label. It is a single cask that was filled with spirit in 2002 and bottled in 2012. This cask was hand-picked by David Michiels (@Davescotchguy) over at Willow Park. I bought this following the Glenfarclas Master Class in early November 2012 and it was signed by George Grant himself. That was a very fun master class filled with great stories and phenomenal sherry-aged whisky. I'm looking forward to the master class this year. In waiting for that, I thought I'd finally post a review for this whisky that I've been slowly enjoying over the past year.

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Colour: deep copper.

Nose: on the nose you immediately get that this is a big sherry bomb, however, it is softer on the nose the the Glenfarclas 105 10 year old reviewed earlier and with less alcohol burn. Super clean sherry notes with lots of christmas cake and dark fruits and spices. There's a creaminess on the nose too which seems unusual for sherried whiskies but it is here and is pleasant. I also get brown sugar with some cinnamon on the nose as well.

Palate: wow! Big sherry-aged flavours! Butterscotch... christmas cake... dried fruits... this is desert! Moves through some nice spices and dries at the back of the palate. Second sip dark caramel sauce or butterscotch sauce, dried fruits and delicious spices. This is softer than the 105 10 year old and more complex in my opinion (don't get me wrong, the 105 is very good). 

Adding some water - with just a little water, it seems to get hotter. Weird. Add some more - now the heat is gone but its still bursting with flavour. Yes, this replaces desert for me after a meal! Seeing how good this is with this much water, I'd advise folks to pour smaller drams and and plan on using a little more water and you can stretch this bottle out without sacrificing flavour. 

This is big, clean, and good. Sweet and satisfying especially as the water brings out some more creaminess. Nice mouthfeel too!

Finish: The finish is quite long and clean and drying. It warms you deep inside.

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Comments: Kudos to Glenfarclas for making these fine whiskies! A very special thanks to David Michiels for his painstaking effort (I'm sure it was hard work!) in picking this outstanding 10 year old and bringing it to us. I am a big fan of whisky like this! I must also thank Willow Park Wines and Spirits for having the interest to continue doing special casks like these!