Welcome back to another fantastic tasting of two single malts, where I spend the time discovering each one relative to the other. This is the best way for me to peel apart those intricate details. As usual, I will take down these notes in real time as I sip on the whiskies, and then I’ll pick out a winner and hopefully learn something new along the way! I’m pretty excited about today’s side-by-side pairing – this is the 13th dram from Cask Explorers‘ 2022 Advent Calendar (Diamond Edition), and it’s a 25-year-old Scotch from the Glenrothes distillery! I will pick the same-aged 25-year-old whisky from the Glenfarclas distillery, which I paired with the same-aged Benrinnes only a couple of weeks ago. You can read that article here to see who won that round. Meanwhile, I’m curious to see how the Glenfarclas will stand up again! Are you ready? I am! But first, we need music! Now playing: Jon Hopkins – Immunity.

I’ve had the Glenrothes on a few occasions. I even stayed in the distillery’s hometown (but, sadly, the distillery was not open for visitors – it was during COVID-19), and it was at The Station Hotel where I had my first dram of the Glenrothes (check out their bar!). I haven’t officially reviewed this whisky on Two Drams A Day yet, but it did appear a few times as an Undisclosed Speyside while also dropping it a nod during another tasting. And then there was the Glenfarclas. I’ll skip the introduction to this fantastic family-owned distillery since I hope you know all about its wonderfully sherried malt if you’re reading this. I’m also a fan – suffice it to say that I own one of their bottles from the family cask collection [I won’t tell you which year]. But let’s get back to these contenders. And guess what? Both are from 1st-fill sherry-seasoned oak casks. Both are 25 years old. Both are even bottled at exactly 43% ABV. Both are uncoloured – but both are then chill-filtered (figures!). The price difference is a bit huge, though. The Glenrothes is sold for something stupid, like £450 or more, while the [most recent bottlings of] Glenfarclas is available for [just] £300. So, you can see why I am thrilled about this pairing. At this point in the write-up, both just spent 25 minutes in my Glencairn glasses (a minute in a glass for a minute in a cask), and now I’m ready to proceed!

The colour is nearly the same on these. The Glenrothes is just a little bit darker, but not by much. The nose is a little stronger on the Glenrothes, and there is toffee, stewed plums, and salted caramel. It smells absolutely delicious! The Glenfarclas smells great, too, but it is slightly subdued, and then there is some hint of wood in that “old-world” style whisky. That, too, I like. [There are probably much older whiskies in here!] With those wonderful tear stains, the Glenrothes looks a little oiler in my glass, while the Glenfarclas seems a little thinner [on the eyes]. Let’s finally go in for a taste! The Glenrothes rolls in sweet and smooth. There is a hint of dark chocolate and cherry-dipped cigar, and now the long lingering finish reminds me of all those lovely sherried drams I ever loved and cherished. Let’s take a sip of San Pellegrino in between. The Glenfarclas is not as sweet, and yes, it’s slightly thinner on the palate. It’s got a satin, slightly shorter finish, a bit with a hint of cardboard (in a very good way, mind you), as I described before. Let’s go back to the Glenrothes. It’s a darker, slightly richer dram. I love how it plays with the sweetness and the bitterness together. It works so well across the entire spectrum on my tongue. And yes, the finish just goes on and on. The Glenfarclas is lighter and narrower in that very same range of flavour. The Glenrothes leans heavier and more towards the sweeter, sharper notes, while the Glenfarclas hovers just above and slightly in the centre. It’s just an absolutely balanced dram. There’s zero to complain about here.

Distillery / Region	Glenrothes / Speyside	Glenfarclas / Speyside
Producer	The Edrington Group	J.&G. Grant
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / The Soleo Collection	Distillery bottling / core range
Stated Age / Vintage	25 years old / non-vintage	25 years old / non-vintage
Cask type	1st fill sherry seasoned oak cask	ex-sherry cask
ABV / Cask Strength	43% / No	43% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	No / Yes	No / Yes
Price	£450+	£275+
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes – lovely, rich and deep	No / Yes – always a fan!
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Hmm – Expensive / Yes – a dram	Yes / Yes

I’ll take a break, go get some “fresh” London air on my balcony and sip some more of that San Pellegrino. I think I have made up my mind, but I will give both one last sip. The Glenrothes, without a doubt, is slightly more complex, with sharper peaks in its flavour profile. I love the finish, and yes, I still taste some of that cigar there. And it works! And although the Glenfarclas doesn’t disappoint, it feels a bit like a curated perfect malt to be a bit too flawless and ideal. That being said, the price here makes a difference. And you can tell from the above table which I’d recommend you buy. If both were exactly the same (or free), I’d certainly ask for a dram of the Glenrothes. But the Glenfarclas doesn’t shy from offering the value for the price [especially its 15-year-old – you should try it!]. With that said, and after much deliberation, I will pause here and proclaim the Glenrothes 25-year-old as the winner of this round. I almost wanted to make it a tie, but the Glenrothes inched a little higher because I certainly would like to have this dram again.

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p.s. While I was in my “25-year-old Speyside whisky at 43% territory from 1st fill oloroso sherry casks“, I also poured myself a dram of the Glenlivet XXV on the sneak, and wow, it was less sweet than both but definitely smoother. I knew it was an outstanding single malt (even if it’s coloured and chill-filtered), but I didn’t think that it would kick these two right in the throat. No wonder I am on my second bottle! Wow, what a fantastic tasting today! I’m holding myself back from topping off a bit more of that Glenlivet or Glenfarclas – I’ve got a dinner to go to, where, as my new self-inflicted rule states, I can only drink a beer. Two drams are fine. Three starts to cross over the threshold. This journey must be smart, folks!