A family affair
John Lamond examines the history of this independent distillery
Glenfarclas is wonderful â it is truly magnificent! It is firmly ensconced in my top five. But donât just take my word for it. In 1912, after a rook shoot at Ballindalloch, the great Tommy Dewar tasted a sample of the 1881. He said that it was âThe King of Whiskies and the Whisky of Kings. In its superiority, it is something to drive the skeleton from the feast and paint landscapes in the brain of man. In it is to be found the sunshine and shadow that chase each other over the billowy cornfield, the hum of the bee, the hope of spring, the breath of May, the carol of the lark, the distant purple heather in the mountain mist, the dew of morn and the wealth of autumnâs rich content, all golden with imprisoned light.â
This is the whisky that we (Tommy Dewar and I) are talking about. The distillery, sitting alongside the A95 between Grantown-on-Spey and Craigellachie, is not quite so gorgeous. My first visit to Glenfarclas was with a small group and we had taken a âshort-cutâ by an unclassified road from the south across Ben Rinnesâ shoulder. A bone-rattling, twisting journey during which I, and others, wondered if we would ever re-encounter civilisation. Then Glenfarclas hove into sight, a very welcome haven. Alfred Barnardâs journey was similarly difficult. He commented: âall was strange, gigantic and sublimeâ and talks of a somewhat longer than anticipated journey: âWe could see Glenfarclas for miles before we reached it, standing isolated at the base o.....
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By John Lamond
Section : Distillery Focus
Page number : 52
