Family-owned Speyside distillery Glenfarclas has revealed its oldest whisky to date. Distilled on 20 November 1953, the whisky is bottled with an age statement of 70 Years Old, representing seven decades of maturation, overseen by six different distillery managers.
The 70-year-old whisky was distilled while Glenfarclas still had its own malt barn, with barley malted onsite — the malt barn is now the tun room. The spirit has been matured in first-fill sherry casks; 70 years later, sherry cask single malt remains the distillery's signature style.
Callum A Fraser, distillery manager at Glenfarclas, 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 it stands as a rare and timeless testament to patience and craft.”
Glenfarclas says the whisky has a nose of stewed fruits and Speyside peat, followed by a palate of chocolate, dried fruit, toffee, and coffee, and a lingering finish.
John Grant is chairman of Glenfarclas, and the fifth generation of the Grant family to have owned and run the distillery. He said: “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.”
He 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 and I have considered carefully and with great respect for its legacy.”
The release becomes the oldest by far in the Glenfarclas Warehouse Series, previous additions to which have included 30-, 35-, and 40-year-old whiskies. It is presented in the distillery's signature red secondary packaging and understated, traditional label — to allow, says Glenfarclas, the whisky "speak for itself". Just 262 bottles have been made available worldwide.
Glenfarclas 70 Years Old is bottled at 42.9% ABV. It will be available from June 2025 via select specialist retailers in more than 50 markets, at RRP £20,000.
