Glenfarclas 15, struggling with nose

[Jontymo]

Hi all, new here so please bear with me.

At the wrong end of 40 I have decided I want to get into whisky, I started with the Dalwhinnie 15 which I enjoyed followed by Aldis Glen Marnoch 28 which I absolutely loved (luckily bought 2 bottles as the 1st bottle has already been dispatched). Following this I decided to purchase the Glenfarclas 15 in part due to the fact I worked in the distillery in the mid nineties and the favourable reviews, I have been trying to drink this from a nosing glass but find it really off putting due to the fact all I can smell is matches, I find it that strong I even think I can taste them, this is now putting me off purchasing any more malts until I understand more, can anyone tell me if this is the norm and if I need to stay away from whisky with smoke on the nose please?

[Quaich1]

Interesting you say that. Jim Murray in his latest Whisky Bible states about this one: "minimal sulphur here but enough to take the edge off a normally magnificeni whisky...".

The problem is not that the whisky is smoky but that the sherry cask can sometimes be sulfur tainted and hence the problem. Your bottle may have suffered in this respect. The problem is not confined to one or two distilleries nor independent bottlers when it happens but can actually happen at times when sherry butts, etc are involved or used for finishing. For example, I find that Glenmorangie Lasanta has off-putting sulphur notes for me as does Highland Park Dark Origins, again from the sherry influence. Often, people reviewing these drams write about issues with them. Some folks are not as sensitive to the sulfur notes and actually experience them as pleasant. Generally, I love sherry cask/finished whiskies.
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"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

[opelfruit]

I've had this exact problem with farclas 15yo before, a few duff bottles and a few stunning bottles. It's not smoky, the sherry casks are tainted. I've quite sensitive to sulphur, it's genetic (you either are or aren't) and I'd guess you are too. Buy sherry cask whisky, just he careful.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[sorren]

A few people have now commented on the sulphur in the farclas 15, could be a tainted batch so might be worth leaving a while before re buying or try to find an older bottling.. otherwise stick to bourbon cask matured whisky unless you can try before you buy.. unfortunately some people are more susceptible to sulphur than others..

[Jontymo]

Thank you all for the replies, guess the cork is pushed firmly in for now, at least I,m not the only one to suffer from the sulphur nose!

Moving on, the 2nd bottle of aldi's finest has now been opened.

Cheers all.
Jon

[opelfruit]

If you like your sherried whisky, Bunnahabhain 12yo is a cracker. Only had sulphur issues in bottles years ago, recent stuff has been excellent. At the moment it's in supermarkets for under £30 and is a good one if your starting out.

Other than that, as sorren says, you can go for stuff with less sherry cask in it and mainly bourbon matured. Sulphur issues aren't wide spread but if your sensitive to it like me then you never quite know what you'll get. In all fairness, I've not really found too much sulphur in stuff.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[ant_in_wales]

Hello all
I bought a bottle of Glenfarclas 15 when it was on amazing offer from Amazon (£33).
It was OK when opened - slightly Christmas cake, like Aldi's Glenmarnoch, but after a day it has now gone wildly sulphur.
It's all I can smell or taste now.

I'm amazed people are so sanguine about it - £33 is still a lot of money for something that re-creates my visit to the volcano at Nisyros.

Do you think I've got a claim to return it to Amazon for a refund?
Actually, I'll do that now and report what happens.
(You don't think I got it cheap because Glenfarclas knew it was sulphury, do you?)

[opelfruit]

It's a characteristic of the whisky but some are worse than others. I'm sensitive to sulphur and I've had a few bottles of this over the years that I've really struggled with, whereas others have been fantastic (and still had some sulphur).

If you are really struggling then it needs to go. My experience with Amazon is that they'll send you a replacement, rather than a refund, free of charge. Your new bottle may be just as bad.

I've just contacted them about a bottle of rum that is corked (yes corked!) and a new bottle is on its way from them, which is very kind.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[Fabien]

Any single malt can vary from batch to batch but I have never had a bad experience with a Glenfarclas malt, it will be interesting to hear what Amazon say about returning it as I doubt any whisky shop would accept its return

[Jontymo]

If you look around there are various posts on a possible issue with the 15 including this post which was mine, I emailed Glenfarclas directly and was very satisfied with the response!

[Alexppp]

[Jontymo]

I,m enjoying it now!

[ant_in_wales]

[ant_in_wales]

[IndianaBlues]

Amazon have recently changed their returns policy regarding spirits. Their previous attitude was "bin it and we'll send out a replacement"...regardless on whether it was a quality issue, faulty or error on their part. The reason I was given for this was that they couldn't insure spirits as returns as they were flammable.

Obviously they've now found a courier that will insure spirits returns, as they now expect them back