Spirits · Ballindalloch, Scotland
Glenfarclas
Family-owned Speyside distillery with direct-fired stills and sherry casks.
- Founded
- 1836
- Founded by
- Robert Hay (first licensee); Grant family owners since 1865
- Based in
- Ballindalloch, Scotland
Making it since
1836
Their story
Glenfarclas sits at the foot of Ben Rinnes near Ballindalloch in Speyside. Robert Hay first licensed it in the 1830s, and when he died in 1865 his neighbor, farmer John Grant, bought the distillery for £512.
The Grant family has owned it ever since, through the company J&G Grant, and the sixth generation is now involved. That long independence is rare in Scotch whisky, and the family is known for financial caution and a deep stock of aged casks, which made the Family Casks series of single-vintage releases possible.
How it's made
Glenfarclas runs six stills, three wash and three spirit, still heated by direct flame, which the family believes gives the spirit more body. The whisky matures in European oak casks that previously held Oloroso sherry, a mix of first-fill and refill, sourced from a cooper in Jerez.
Why we carry them
We have a soft spot for family-run distilleries, and Glenfarclas is one of the best. The sherried style is generous, and the older bottlings are a fair value.
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