We are pleased to welcome the Historic Wheels Club to Glenfarclas for their 32nd Annual Rally. Over 50 classic cars, some dating from the 1920s, are expected to assemble at Glenfarclas from 11.30AM on Saturday the 9th of August. Spectators are welcome.

 

As part of the National Museum of Scotland’s new gallery Scotland: A Changing Nation, the oldest unopened case of Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky goes on public display this week. Scotland: A Changing Nation explores how cultural, social, political and economic influences have impacted on people in Scotland since the First World War.

The history of the oldest unopened case of Glenfarclas is intriguing. It was one of fifty shipped to H Albrecht and Company of Illinois in the 1930s. Mr Shrive, an engineer, purchased six cases. Surprisingly, despite the recent repeal of prohibition, the stock was not consumed very quickly. By 1994 there was one case and one bottle remaining. Mr Shrive’s son wrote to Glenfarclas offering the remaining bottles to the distillery.

Realising the significance of the case, John Grant, Chairman and 5th generation of the family that own and manage Glenfarclas, and the distillery’s Sales Director at the time, Malcolm Greenwood, travelled to the US to collect the whisky. So precious was the consignment that British Airways arranged a First Class seat for the case on its journey home.

The Scotland: A Changing Nation gallery opens at the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, on Friday the 11th July.  For further details on the National Musem of Scotland, please visit  www.nms.ac.uk

We look forward to seeing you at the following whisky festivals and Glenfarclas tastings.

5th & 6th September 2008
Berlin Whisky Fair
www.whisky-herbst.de/

11th September 2008
Glenfarclas Whisky tasting at Underbar
To book please contact
Underbar
Holmensgt. 3
0250
Oslo, Norway
Tel. +47 (22) 877700
www.underbar.no/Hovedside.html

20th - 22nd September 2008
Whisky Live Paris
www.whiskylive.com/france

1st October 2008
Glenfarclas Tasting with The Wright Wine Company
At the Canalside Restaurant, Skipton, North Yorkshire
To book call 01756 700886
www.wineandwhisky.co.uk


3rd, 4th & 5th October 2008
Potstill Festival
Amersfoort, The Netherlands
www.potstillfestival.com

5th & 6th October 2008
Whisky Live Barcelona
www.whiskylive.com/spain/

7th November 2008 
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Seattle
www.smwsa.com

11th November 2008
Whisky Fest New York
www.whiskyfest.com

14th, 15th & 16th November
International Whisky Festival
Pieterskerk, Leiden, The Netherlands
www.whiskyfestival.nl

1st to 10th of May 2009
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
Looking further ahead the 2009 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will run over two weekends as part of Homecoming.
www.spiritofspeyside.com

Glenfarclas has won two awards for The Family Casks at the 2008 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Gold, Best in Class, and the IWSC Trophy for Cask Strength Scotch Whisky for Glenfarclas The Family Casks 1970 Cask No. 566.

and

Silver for Glenfarclas The Family Casks 1973 Cask No. 2578

The judges tasting notes for the 1970 read, ‘A deep and rich whisky, intensely marked by sherry. Damp cellar, mushrooms, wet earth. Dark chocolate. Molasses, sultanas. The palate delivers the nose promises with an additional oaky tone. Christmas cake and chocolate. Sweet lingering finish. A superb old timer.’

The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world's best wines, spirits and liqueurs. This standard is achieved through a rigorous two-stage judging process of professional blind tasting and detailed technical analysis that takes place at The Competition's headquarters in England.

 

Glenfarclas has excelled in the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge. The Family Casks 1990 cask number 9246 has achieved an index score of 3.96, the 5th equal all time top score, since the competition started seven years ago. Richard Joynson of Loch Fyne Whiskies described the 1990 as ‘A superb example for dark sherry-matured fans’.

Meanwhile in the same blind tasting Charlie MacLean awarded his highest score to date in the competition to The Family Casks 1974, cask number 5786. He wrote ‘A bright, well-aged nose: fruit and nuts, dark toffee. Drinks very well straight: sweet to start, with some smoke; mouth drying. Even better with a dash of water. Magnificent. My first ever 5!’.

In the competition distillers are invited to submit two bottles to the Scottish Field, who then decant the whisky into smaller unmarked sample bottles, to be forwarded to the judges. The judges, who sample the whiskies blind, are drawn from a selection of Scotland’s leading whisky merchants and whisky bars.