ralfy review 753 - Glenfarclas 15yo @ 46%vol: Re-reviewed 2018
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
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I just tried Glenfarclas 15 for the first time. Based on this ralfy review I wasn't expecting much, but was very pleasantly surprised. I didn't have the benefit of tasting prior generations of this dram but I think you have to take each generation of single malt on its own Merritt. I really enjoyed this Whisky...I found it quite complex and it had a really nice balance and mouth feel. One of my top 5 currently.
I recently cracked a new bottle and it is excellent! It must be a case of the batch variation that Glenfarclas is kind of known for, but my bottle can go up against some much more expensive malts! I think it's a 2020 bottling....
you forget that 83 is a good score :) maybe if you'd taste something that has a higher score Glenfarclas 15 would get reimagined inside you as well + it is SUBJECTIVE :D ralfy rarely reviews whiskies that are not worth visiting at all.
83? That's a real kick in the shins for a 15 yr old Scotch.
What a wonderful person. Not only are the reviews informative and entertaining, Ralfy is just so pleasant to listen to and spend time with. Currently enjoying Glenfarclas 12 year and watching reviews. Thank you!
In a strange way I’m very happy you’ve made this video.
I remember being profoundly disappointed by a Glenfarclas 15 a few years ago and telling you all about it. It started a conversation where people attempted to refute my claims by saying that the bottle must have been tainted by the cork and whatever else.
At the time, even you said that quality hasn’t changed and I remained very stern with my opinion that quality is going down without a shadow of a doubt.
It was a relief to see you talking about it lately.
I’m getting tired of this new wave of people who won’t listen and if you say anything critical they label you as a “hater” and carry on with their delusions.
I fear, psychologically speaking, that it’s no more than a modern variant of a defence mechanism - reducing life and a person to a “hater” when all you’re doing is telling the truth.
I recently wrote to someone who has a whisky channel, telling him that I don’t like that he isn’t taking a public stand against the increase in price.
As an example I gave Old Pulteney 12. Years ago OP12 was an incredible whisky. It had the kind of richness the OP17 had yet during holiday deals you could easily find it for £24 at most supermarkets. It was pretty hard to beat.
The quality of OP12 hasn’t been at that level for a long time now - at least 6-7 years.
Even here, people keep teeling me that the quality is the same. What am I supposed to say to that? Good for you for not being able to tell the difference I guess. It's as clear to me as is the difference between day and night... it sure is not!
The highest score you ever gave was on a 19y.o Mortlach (CS) that cost you £61. You’d have to spend £261 today to even get a Mortlach and even then I doubt the quality will live up to its historical virtues.
Unfortunately, I can’t agree with you on being loyal. I’m not loyal anymore and you’ll be hard pressed blaming “me” for it.
After having such a bad experience with Glenfarclas I emailed them and did not get a reply.
A few weeks later I emailed them again and once again was ignored.
I actually updated my post back then and I remember you saying that you’re sorry despite none of it having anything to do with you but since you promoted the idea of contacting distilleries and letting them know about your disappointment I think you felt some measure of responsibility.
Yesterday I saw the Glenfarclas 25 being sold for £85 on Amazon. It was a special ‘deal of the day’.
I didn’t get it!
I’d rather invest elsewhere.
So no, I’m not loyal.
These days (I keep repeating myself) I think brand name means, and you’ll have to excuse my bluntness, fucko.
It changes too much and too often.
Right now I’d recommend Deanston, Balblair, Arran, and possibly others I can’t think of right this second. But, by next year it might be something else entirely and none of the ones mentioned. Things change that radically.
It became a game of single expressions where the correct thing to do is to buy when something is worth buying and then not buying again but rather looking for the next thing, next year.
Otherwise, my main focus is in independent bottlers and not in core releases from distilleries.
I even read a horrifying piece of news the other day - Glengoyne will (allegedly) not use first fill casks from now on.
Had I known that I would have bought the 25y.o when it was on a sale a few weeks ago. Now? Now the price has gone up while evidently quality will go down.
I just explained this to someone else on a different channel but if you’re familiar with the Gauss model or the Stock-Life model or even the early-adopters-model: we are at the upper third phase, essentially. This is the maximisation era. Prices go up, quality goes down, more is put into publicity now in order to maximise on the initial investment. This is how trading works.
It is in fact, how the economy works, once you understand the fundamental premise of the double auction.
Very well stated & (unfortunately for all of us) too true.
The inevitable explanation (read: apology) is simply “Well that’s just the way it is. Some things will never change”- as the song goes... I don’t buy it.
When profits are the enemy of quality rather than the virtue that drives price in the first place, something is horribly wrong. This “profits now at any cost!” mindset is what slays the goose who once laid golden eggs.
Single malt is NOT a limited natural resource like gold or silver. If demand rises, then producers can distill, vat & barrel MORE product. At the SAME LEVEL of quality.
If the bottleneck (pun intended) are the damned barrel quality/quantity than producers need to ADDRESS this issue.
How freakin’ hard IS it to buy quality wood & fill it with sherry or whatever, with the intention going-in to use the barrel for single malt maturation? At the profits being made at the ridiculous rate that occur in 2018, this additional investment would not kill any reasonable ROI formula.
Why do the single malt producers reduce quality & value while spiking prices & profits? One reason only: THEY ARE GETTING AWAY WITH IT!!
How damn dumb ARE the buying public to overlook or, worse yet, deny this unarguable fact? (Your answer here!) 🤷♂️
@@albertmiller3082 Thank you.
With regards to wood: you need to remember that not everything about it is a matter of choice.
Wood quality is largely unrelated to the whisky world. As less and less consumers drink high level aged Sherry there are simply less and less Sherry casks available.
Sure, there are cheap ones because Sherry is used a lot in commercial cooking but this is not the kind of Sherry they used to drink in the old days that bathed inside the cask for 30-40 years.
Even then there is a question of quality.
My point here is that there is a difference between first fill casks of the highest quality 40 year old Sherry and a cheap 5 year old Sherry.
Then on top of that there’s also greater competition. The Japanese have been buying all the good casks because they have more money. That leaves less of the good ones for Scotch.
This is in part why prices have gone up and it IS the reason why these days you see so many “finishes”. They can recycle (so to speak) the same cask by “finishing” several different batches.
And on top of that there is also the quality of the raw wood. You can’t compare a fertilized fast growing 5-10 year old Oak to a 400 year old Oak that grew through the harshest of conditions.
It is known that medicinal plants that grow wild have significantly greater amounts of active ingredients compared to cultivated ones. Some times by up to 6,000%.
There’s no question trees are no different.
But here too, how can you blame or complain to distilleries for not using something that has essentially gone extinct?
When I was a kid there were many wild trees that were hundreds of years old. Now they’re all gone (or otherwise protected).
It’s fairly complex.
BravingTheOutDoors - Thank you for taking the time to further sort this out. Hmmm... less old sherry around...fewer free range old oak trees period...Japanese (somehow) have greater financial resources... Sounds like I had best be grateful for any “old days” quality single malt Scotch from the 21st century altogether, eh? *sigh* As far as the ocean of NAS pricey new generation stuff is concerned, suppose I ought to get (more) accustomed to it & prepare myself for an ongoing season of disappointment.
In the 1980’s I worked with a great guy who lived in Scotland (he flew into the States several times a year). I had been drinking Johnny Walker and he pushed my dram aside & ordered me a Macallan 18. Now THAT was a dram to remember! Thanks again, malt mate.
Glengoyne will do what now ?!
@@wp2746 What is it that you don't understand?
Hi Ralfy. The new lens is as crisp as a Pringle.
Lol
Very kind of you, Ralfy. Literally giving away the clothes off of your back at a charity tasting curated and hosted by yourself. Not many other folk who would be so generous. Hope the walk back to where ever you were staying wasn't too cold. Cheers!
Daniel Brown hahaha! Touché!!
I am drinking a dram of Aberlour 16 year old while I watch this video. Cheers Mr. Ralfy from the USA.
Opened a bottle of Glenfarclas 15 to celebrate the premiere of the OSWA's last week. A fine dram. Not the most spectacular whisky, but a very characterful, old-skool dram. For me, it's a keeper!
I always feel like glenfarclas should taste better than it does. I like that they're family owned and practice traditional whisky making and offer fair pricing... But, my bottle of 21 year just seems alright to me.
Matt - Any 21 year old worth it’s malt ought to be far more than “alright”...
83????you gave it 90 a few years ago...this GlenF 15 got me into whisky 3 years ago...yummy.First whisky i really enjoyed!
Just rewatched this and dang Ralfy, you’re a prophet mate. You called the recession well before anyone ever heard of it.
One of my favourite whisky 🥃
me trhee guy
Another delightful and informative video. The more I watch, the more I learn, the more I appreciate.
I do enjoy he Re-Reviews and Glenfarclas. I like the independent bottles of Glenfarclas more so. Thanks for Sharing Ralfy.
At the moment, I struggle sipping on most whisk(e)ys but I enjoy watching the gambit of review videos available. Cheers Ralfy
. . . happy to share the M-moments !
Hi Ralfy, I love your videos and appreciate your advice and vast experience for the aqua vitae and its continuous evolution over time. That being said I'm a bit puzzled by your rating for this whisky (83/100 points) which is a lower rating than you've awarded Glenfiddich 15... In my honest opinion there is little comparison between the two as Glenfarclas is a substantially more complex whisky in terms of arrival and aftertaste flavors and aromas (not to mention the lack of colouring of Glenfarclas). I understand that there is a subjective aspect in appreciating whiskies where memory plays sometimes a big role but as an whisky educator one should always remain true to the present in order to further the understanding and appreciation of this ever growing industry.
. . . I review as I find a malt out of the bottle I have bought.
I watched this with great interest as it's my favourite dram. I've had a lovely couple of bottles in 2018. Now to find an old miniature... :)
Hi Ralfy great review and good timing as I just purchased the Glenfarclas 17yo and the 105 cask edition and was wondering about also getting the 15yo, this really helped me in deciding Thanx
Great review as always Ralfy! I do enjoy your videos. For some reason we don’t get the 15yo in South Africa 🇿🇦 but we do get the12, 17, 21, 25 and 105. A great range indeed! Cheers 😊🥃!
Love your accent! I'm always on the lookout for non-caramel-colored scotches (bourbon is by nature and law, non-colored). I can't wait to buy a bottle of this and [hopefully] like it enough to add to my bar, along with the other natural-colored scotches like Glendronach, Macallan, Glenglassaugh and Bruchladdich (excuse my spelling).
I'm not overly keen on the glenfarclas range. Some of the bottlings have bags of sulphur for me while others don't at all. So I've learned to be vary wary of the range
I love watching your reviews when I have the same bottle at home. They accompany each other brilliantly. Keep up the great work Ralfy. Please review some or some more Australian whisky soon
The 12 has such a different nose. Almost doesn’t like a fully matured sherry single mal at all, being so bourbonish and the palate is much milder and herbal. Also a bit grainy like many blends (I talk about that typical sweetness many blends have). Tasting both side by side, I have no doubt that I prefer the 15.
Ralfy: Really enjoyed your interview with George Grant, seemed like a jolly good fellow.
Personally, I just bought my first bottle of this and really liked it! I enjoy that it’s bottled at 46%, and between the 12, 15 and 17, I think this one might be my favourite. I don’t have experience with the older bottlings, so your opinions are interesting on that, but the prices are still reasonable relative to other brands, especially for the Sherry Cask matured whiskies.
83 out of 100??? That's a serious kick in the pants for ANY 15-year-old Speyside single malt! For once, I'm going to have to disagree with you here: Let's put it this way, I WON'T be using my prised bottle of 15-year-old Glenfarclas to flavor any future Christmas fruitcakes! 30 minutes in the glass with just a whisp of water... and this is DEVINE. Greetings from snowy Finland!
Watching old reviews while cooking.
Ah, Ralfy the philosopher and economist.
regardless of given points … as an Glenfarclas maniac since the 1990s I think you made your point clear and it`s true
Love the 17 yr Glenfarclas, taste better than an 83 to me
I have to say Ralfy. I am a fan of Glenfarclas - but I have found in recent time (over the last couple of years) that my palate tells me something has changed. Just not at the same level of smell and taste that it used to be.... Cask selection perhaps? For 15 yo malt I have gravitated to the Springbank 15. Really good - surprisingly long finish. Would love you to review that (just to compare notes).
Springbank IS superior quality, surely. Glenfarclas once offered a moderately high quality single malt at a moderate price. Now it markets a slightly lesser product at a slightly higher price than before. Hard to be thrilled & grateful that the trade-off is relatively minimal. Holding quality AND price is the gift that keeps on giving.
@@albertmiller3082 Agreed. In fact, my personal take on Glenfarclas in recent times is that the 105 (with generous amounts of water!) consistently represents the Glenfarclas style better than their other expressions. Of course, as in anything to do with Single Malt investigation, that's a purely personal opinion .
I have a recommendation for what you can do with the rest of the bottle.
Winter Scotch.
Turn it to a Winterfarclas :-)
I'm going to make mine with what I have left from an Aberlour 10... turning it to a Winterlour!
:-)
Cheers
Nice one Ralfy. Avoided this one for a long while. Not sure I’ll bother with it.
For the price, i find this bottle very good! And it is a recent bottle.
Get the version for the asian markets imho, bit more years on it and more mellow.
Hi Ralfy. The last review of this was given a malt mark of 90. Now down to 83? It’s all about opinions, but I certainly can’t agree with this. Also, what do you mean about a ‘relatively’ natural colour? Glenfarclas is well known for not adding colour. Are you saying this is not true? Finally, is there any whisky out now that is better than it used to b in the good old days? Sometimes I think nostalgia has affected your tastebuds!
Couldn’t disagree more ralfy , think your being very harsh . For the money it’s one of the best pound for pound
I think GlenF 15 and Glen Garioch 12 taste quite similar..both very nice drams!😃🥃🥃
Good to re-review and good to re-watch! Have a nice 21...
I do really like Glenfarclas, unfortunately it is going up in price in my neck of the woods.
I am a bit confused here..last time he reviewed it and gave it a 90, if i remember correctly. If the stuff is still good an 88 or even an 87 makes sense, but 83...
I think he's trying to send a message that the Scotch distillers need to up their game. I've been enjoying Teeling small batch and pot still lately, 46% NCF.
Vishnu Mohan
Also went from 5 spoons of water to 1/2. Not sure I understand such an extreme change. I picked up a bottle a few months back and plan to open it up on Thanksgiving. I guess I’ll see for myself (as always)
I bought a bottle recently and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Can't compare with older versions, but a very good dram today.
Vishnu Mohan Well hang about, the last time he reviewed this was over 7 years ago.
The whole whisky scene and industry has changed since then.
Glenfarclas 15yo is not a very consitend bottling - sherry between heavy and just a touch of... sulfur can be in the mix... the next bottle you get, and there is nothing - so I can understand ratings between 83 and 90
Glenfarclas Cocktail recipe: 40ml of 15yo, 5ml of 8yo. Lovely!
Glenfarclas is non- chill filtered and natural coloured, no?
I just bought a few bottles of the GF 15. And I find it a superb whisky. And yes, I do have experience. I really cannot understand the low mark. It does not seem fair to me.... Please stop comparing bottles to bottles from 10 or 20 years ago. That is not helpful. And I have tasted a modern 8 yo. Well, the 15 yo is ten times a better Scotch, in my book.
Was, and am seriously disappointed with this bottle that I got for Xmas 2018. Seriously some issues with this new batch. Last night I didn't finish my dram. Couldn't believe it. Brutal.
Enjoy Glenfarclas but once had a super sulfuric bottle of the 15, it's scared me away for years. Has anyone else had this issue?
Yes. It was awful and spoiled my taste buds for an hour. The next bottle was ok. Not overwhelming and it took 3 months or so until it really opened up, but no sulphur.
Yup. Glenfarclas 15 was the only bottle of whisky I've ever had to return. So sulphurous it was unbearable. Had a minature since that didn't have the issue, so it does seem to come down to (quite a lot of) bad batches.
I have one, but after almost 2 years and the bottle half down it got better. Glad im not the only one, cant stand much sulfer in my malt 😬
Could be a wrong assumption on my part but I think that what Ralfy is trying to say here is please be considerate and don't take advantage of this man's generosity and by asking him for his clothes.
Huh? What man? Whose clothes? Inconsiderate to who, from who? I’m lost. This is a single malt review & discussion centered on a liquor producer & their product. Must be my fault as I’m certain, respectfully, this comment was intended to be helpful.
@@albertmiller3082 Why don't you just watch the entire video and then you'll know what my comment was about?
Or, go to roughly 17:10 and watch from there.
Oh my bad, CitySteading! Consider me silenced & humbled. Respectfully always, thank you for your patience!
CitySteading- Sorry mate, my bad. Let our man KEEP his bonnet, eh? Right!! Very respectfully yours, I did not make the connection obviously - my mind was stuck on the Glenfarclas shift (as evidenced in my post elsewhere here).
i bought a bottle last year and only opened in July and there was a very strong taste of sulfur.
as i got to last 1/3 of the bottle every thing was ok i would not buy again
only poor 83pts??? come on Ralfy, you're taking the Mickey, aren't you?
Loving the wicker cap
I don't believe this is now available in the US. Local shop says it was about ten years ago but no longer.
Regarding 83... I see another thing that suprises me. Ralfy reviews Dalmore 15yo and totally tells it off. And then gives it 84/100. Here he tastes this "decent dram" and gives it 83/100. I'm a bit confused.
Looking at the comments, there's a few of us confused minds
Probably half pished 😂
This used to be one of my favourites. But I've noticed the quality from Glenfarclas has dropped over the last 10 to 15 years over their age statement whiskies (8 to 18 yr)
Dustin Yarma ~ Right! So the question is simple: Is it because they no longer CAN do what they used to do...or because they prefer NOT to do what they once did? (Your answer here)
I tried to buy a bunch of old miniatures from auction, I was very excited... Until they told me the cost of Delivery, they wanted to pretty much charge me the same per bottle as 70cl ones!!
Your very much right about the forthcoming crash and it's going to be the worst ever seen buddy awe the best ralfy
Ralfy dear, would you say Glenfarclas is one of your favourite malts, along with Springbank and Caol Ila perhaps?
Ralfy thanks a lot
Hey Ralfy.
I seem 2 remembr a "Xmas pie/pudin note" tht use 2 acompany Glenfarclas profiles.
has it chnged that much? cuz 83 duznt leev alota rm 4 holiday descriptrz.
✌️
Fuck your spelling pal
The Ralfy of old tweaking malts to coax the best out of them in simple ways few think of and company bigwigs frown upon. Bravo! Glenfarclas seems positioned at the juxtaposition of big brand and craft brand. I would bet leaving their big brand tit-for-tat mentality behind and righting themselves in presentation across the board would pay dividends within a year or two. You’d think The Glendronach case would have everyone putting quality first. Just sayin’!
Love your Fitter Philosophy channel, Ralfy. Is Masters Bodybuilding in store for you?
Cheers🥃🥃🥃🥃
Mark
Been hoping for this one for a while
we need to buy ralfy a new jacket....
Strange score....not so sure about the chill filtering. Does anyone know the answer to this?
Is it just me or is there a lot of "MUNCHING" in the malt mentions these days?!
Malt Mentions(TM) are like some malts these days - going down in quality. Ralfy, you are the master in charge of the MM selections. I wonder if there's a "select reserve" or a "private selection" of some craft-presentation Malt Mentions 😎
english is not my first language, what does "munch" means ?
@@artificial-frequencies oh, ok, thanks.
I thought so too but thought better of “munchoning” it....
Hey Ralfy, seeing as you're indoors you probably don't need the lens hood on, I usually keep them on anyway as they offer a bit of protection but if it's interfering with your using the remote you might consider just doing away with it. :)
. . . good point !
Hmm, don't agree on 83. I would rate Glenfarclas 15 at 86, Glennallahie 15 I rate at 88. But both are great whisky.
Man I would love to talk to you about this “western deflation” thing u saw coming three years ago lol
I watched this Ralfy review while enjoying a Glenfarclas 15 YO which had been at the back of the cupboard for about 5 years. I get quite a bit of peat off mine - could be the batch, could be that I had a Glenmo 10 as a palate setter. Hmm, that bottle needs finishing.
Hi Ralfy. I guess this works the other way around with NAS bottles. Young malts mixed with small amounts of older malts to prop it up. I know you don't review NAS but are there any distilleries where this approach works well?
Canny insight - in a sense the NAS offerings ARE doing what Ralfy is doing; taking a larger quantity of spirit up a notch or three by adding a minimum of higher quality malt. Problem is the PRICE of NAS is more than full strength malt was just 5 years ago...so the buyer is paying a premium for turbo-charged product. The profit fever rages on unabated...
@@albertmiller3082 yes agree, Scapa Skiren is the only NAS that I have tried which I would buy regularly.. but only when on offer.
Love Glenfarclas, but they can be at best fairly inconsistent and the 15yo is by far the most inconsistent. I can only guess it is down to batching or even the blenders nose.
Ralfy I have purchased the 25 YO Glanfarclas recently. I do not believe you have reviewed this expression. What are your impressions of this malt?
P.S. At a $150 USD it represents pretty great value for a 25 YO traditionally sherry matured malt in the US market.
Hmm...I'm wondering if I can bid on your jacket and bonnet on eBay? ;)
Had the 15 at a bar in inverness on one of my trips and went out to buy a bottle the next day the nose is one of my faverites
Well malt mates (or Ralfy if he's about), can any of you recommend me a very heavily sherry influenced non-peated scotch to try?
Bit late, but Tomatin 18.
Glenfarclas 15
He should have returned it.... with a smile...
Get it 15 it deserves 86/100. Nah be say and don't get it
So basically you are saying that your entering into the stripping business.... thats an unexpected turn from whisky....oh wait....maybe too much whisky ? :D ahhahah
Masterclass!!!
Fascinating.
So the 12 is better
No it is not. The 12 is very good, and the 15 is better. Ralfy is clearly wrong here.
I’m pretty sure glenfarclas is unchillfiltered and natural colour
"Ralfy, can I have your whisky collection? I'll buy you a lifetime of hats and jackets!" Just joking, of course. You have to watch to the end to know what I mean.
Ralfy scores too low here, though this aint as good as i remember it.
What about "Malty Malevolent Monsters" ? a bit dark, but still fun in my sens.
cheers from Belgium.
. . . been m-mentioned a few years back.
@@thewhiskybothy ah, so sad.
❤️👍🥃
Hello mysterious mercurial malt mortals
Almost first!
mummified mezacal mixing mystics ;)
. . . now on the M-mention List, thanks !
ralfy, thnx a milyon 4 al th tips the "hacks", the blendin ideas tht u hav impartd upon us all ovr these mny yrs.
That "one- man show" is sreamin yur name (on the heels of yur upcomin book)
u cant discount anythng m8. life is so short w/much 2b accomplishd
Everything from the past is always better. 🙊
wr'v had billions of yrs b4 us, then theres us, then anothr billion of yrs tht follow r arrival. if not spreadun the word, then why are wr here?
First 😎
Well in Jez!
.
. . . Verified as First !
.
third
Ralfy, can I have your boots?
3nd