Glenfarclas unveils 70YO single malt

Family-owned Glenfarclas Distillery has released a 70-year-old single malt, its oldest expression to date.

Glenfarclas 70 Years Old is said to mark a pinnacle in the distillery's legacy, showcasing more than 70 years of maturation and expertise. Distilled on 20 November 1953 and aged in a single first-fill Sherry cask, the whisky has been overseen by six distillery managers over the past 70 years in the distillery's dunnage warehouses. John Grant, chairman and the fifth generation of the Grant family to own and run Glenfarclas Distillery, stated: "As chairman of a family-owned distillery, I am committed to overseeing the production of our exceptional malt whisky, just as my forefathers did before me. "We take great pride in maintaining complete control over every aspect of production, preserving our time-honoured traditional methods – most notably, the use of direct-fired stills, which creates a robust and full-bodied spirit." Grant continued: "Remarkably, this particular cask has been maturing almost as long as I’ve been alive. Releasing it now marks a true milestone, and one that Callum [A Fraser, distillery manager] and I have considered carefully and with great respect for its legacy.” Offered at 42.9% ABV, Glenfarclas 70 Years Old displays aromas of stewed fruits and traditional Scottish dumpling with 'a delicate thread of Speyside peat drawn from the slopes of Ben Rinnes', which adds a lightly earthy, smoky nuance. The palate offers dark chocolate notes with Sherry-soaked dried fruits, roasted coffee, and treacle toffee. Staying true to the distillery's style, the whisky is bottled non-chill-filtered with no added colourings. A 'remarkable' milestone At 70 years old the whisky is the oldest release from the distillery, surpassing its 60-year-old single malt, first released in 2014. In 2020, Glenfarclas also unveiled 62- and 63-year-old whiskies as part of the Pagoda Reserve series. The new expression is released as part of the Glenfarclas Warehouse Series, presented in the distillery's distinctive red-coloured warehouse box. The limited release whisky was distilled when Glenfarclas' malt barn was bustling with activity at the heart of the distillery, where barley was manually turned on the malting floors. Today, the old malt barn functions as a tun room. Made with malted barley, the rare single malt is limited to only 262 bottles and comes from one of the few remaining casks from the 1950s. Fraser, who has been the distillery manager at Glenfarclas for the last 13 years, commented: “This is true Glenfarclas and this expression captures the very DNA of the distillery. What we did 30 or 40, or even 70 years ago is very much what we still do today. The warehouses are still here, holding decades of stories in their walls. At the heart of it all, tradition remains key. “This whisky has waited 70 years to be enjoyed. Through wars, the reign of a queen and now a king, the world has changed – but this spirit has endured and stands as a rare and timeless testament to patience and craft.” Glenfarclas 70 Years Old will be available globally from June 2025 through a select network of specialist retailers in more than 50 markets. The recommended retail price for the whisky is £20,000 (US$26,834), subject to regional variations. Last year, the distillery released a 24-year-old single malt as its third edition in the annual decanter series.