Glenfarclas marks 190th anniversary with limited-edition release

Glenfarclas; 2025 in Review

What a year it has been at Glenfarclas! From remarkable milestones to unforgettable events, 2025 has truly been one to remember. We’re delighted to share a round-up of the incredible moments we’ve celebrated together.   

March: New Warehouse Construction Begins  

Construction has officially begun on 6 new dunnage warehouses at Glenfarclas. This expansion will enable us to continue aging more whisky, leaving it to mature ready to be enjoyed in the years ahead. Scheduled for completion in early 2026, these additions will bring the total number of warehouses at Glenfarclas to an impressive 48. 

March: Glenfarclas Sponsors the Cross-Country Steeplechase  

Our annual sponsorship at the Cheltenham Festival made for an exciting week in March. Glenfarclas has proudly sponsored the Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase for 17 years and continues to serve our Single Malt whisky at the races. This year, we were delighted to offer drams and special Glenfarclas cocktails from the Orchard Bar. It’s always a thrill to be part of such a prestigious race and we’re already looking forward to next year!

April: Spirit of Speyside 2025 

We were thrilled to enjoy another fantastic Spirit of Speyside week, featuring a mix of both new and familiar events on and off-site. As always, our team loved welcoming visitors from across the globe and showcasing what makes Glenfarclas so special. Highlights of the festival included the sold-out Distillery Exclusive Launch, Breakfast in the Still House and the Big Glenfarclas BBQ which formed part of our newest addition to our programme Glenfarclas Whisky and Golf Experience – three unforgettable events that truly captured the Spirit of Speyside. Highlights of the festival included the sold-out Distillery Exclusive Launch, Breakfast in the Still House and the Big Glenfarclas BBQ which formed part of our newest addition to our programme the Glenfarclas Whisky and Golf Experience – three unforgettable events that truly captured the Spirit of Speyside. 

June: Glenfarclas Announces Oldest Ever Whisky – Launching the 70-Year-Old   

In June, we launched our oldest expression to date, the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old. Distilled on 20th November 1953, this bottling marks a pinnacle in our legacy, embodying over seven decades of meticulous ageing and expertise. With only 262 bottles available globally, the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old is a landmark release embodying rarity, provenance and heritage.  

This remarkable release was celebrated with an exclusive press trip to Glenfarclas Distillery. The day started with a Glenfarclas experience led by our Distillery Manager, Callum Fraser, beginning at our water source, continuing through production and finishing in the warehouses where our spirit matures, just as the 70-year-old has for decades. This is where we had the enormous privilege of opening a bottle of 70 year old with John L S Grant, who then hosted our guests for an exceptional Scottish dinner, crafted by Sarah Rankin. Since then, this incredibly rare whisky has made its way to our key markets around the world.  

September – Glenfarclas Launches Back Into Travel Retail in the UK With Exclusive Expressions  

We were delighted to announce our return to travel retail with an exclusive range first available at World Duty Free in UK airports. Two travel retail exclusive expressions were released, the Glenfarclas 11-Year-Old (1L) and Glenfarclas 16-Year-Old (70cl), both at 46% ABV. They were joined by the iconic Glenfarclas 105 (1L).  

If you’re travelling through the airport this festive season, be sure to pick up a bottle -perfect for gifting or for enjoying yourself! 

October: Distiller’s One of One Auction  

Glenfarclas was once again delighted to support the incredible work of The Distillers’ Charity by taking part in the Distillers’ One of One Auction. This year, we donated a gallon (4.5-litre) bottle of 58-year-old single malt, presented in a truly remarkable hand-crafted oak box created by our neighbour and local sculptor, Stuart Murdoch. The lot achieved £65,000 plus fees, an impressive amount which will make a huge difference to so many people.  

It was an outstanding auction featuring some exceptional whiskies for a wonderful cause, and we were honoured to be involved. 

November: Release of the 2010 Family Cask 

Following its selection at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, we welcomed our 2010 vintage into the Family Cask range. Matured in a first fill Oloroso Sherry Butt and bottled at natural cask strength, an impressive 59.2% ABV. With only 647 bottles produced, this is a rare and remarkable release.  

The Family Cask Collection is believed to be the largest consecutive collection of Scotch whisky in the world, with bottles available to purchase from 1954 through to 2010. This unique collection showcases a range of cask types, fills, methods and ages. These bottles reflect moments in history that can be enjoyed and admired for years to come.  

December: Glenfarclas Celebrates Success at the World Whisky Awards 2026! 

Glenfarclas is proud to share our incredible achievements at this year’s World Whiskies Awards and Icons of Whisky, hosted by Whisky Magazine. Our Distillery Manager, Callum A. Fraser, was named Icons of Whisky Scotland Master Distiller 2026, a testament to his expertise and dedication to the craft of whisky making. The Glenfarclas Production Team received a Highly Commended award for their unwavering commitment to quality and excellence in every drop of Glenfarclas whisky. Adding to the celebration, our Glenfarclas 25-Year-Old won Gold and was crowned Overall Category Winner for Scotch Whisky Speyside 21 Years and Over. This accolade highlights the exceptional character and craftsmanship that defines Glenfarclas. A huge thank you to Whisky Magazine, our team, and our loyal customers for making this possible! 

Toast from Glenfarclas 

Let’s raise a glass to another wonderful year at Glenfarclas. We are already looking ahead to 2026 which will mark an extraordinary 190 years of legal production at Glenfarclas Distillery. From our family to yours, thank you for being part of our journey. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and may it be filled with joy, laughter, and a wee dram or two! 

We are proud to unveil the oldest expression ever released by Glenfarclas, one of Scotland’s few remaining family-owned and managed distilleries.

Distilled on 20 November 1953, and launched in 2025, the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old marks a pinnacle in the distillery’s legacy, embodying over seven decades of meticulous ageing and expertise.

Matured in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses in Speyside, this release was laid down in first-fill sherry casks. The whisky has been overseen by six distillery managers over the past seventy years and will now be available to purchase internationally.

“As Chairman of a family-owned distillery I am committed to overseeing the production of our exceptional malt whisky, just as my forefathers did before me. 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.

“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.”

– John Grant, chairman and fifth generation of the Grant family to have owned and run Glenfarclas distillery

“This whisky has waited seventy 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.”

– Callum A. Fraser, Distillery Manager at Glenfarclas

Tasting Notes

Colour: Polished dark teak with a subtle gleam – richly hued but not overly dark.

Nose: Soft and smooth, with gentle tannic undertones that never overwhelm. Opens with aromas of stewed fruits and traditional Scottish dumpling. A delicate thread of Speyside peat drawn from the slopes of Ben Rinnes – adds a lightly earthy, smoky nuance. The sweetness deepens, revealing layers of fruit compote, honeyed malt, and a quiet richness.

Palate: Dark chocolate laced with sherry-soaked dried fruits gives way to a refreshingly

spicy tingle on the palate leading to a bold thread of rich, roasted coffee. The mouthfeel is luxuriously coated in treacle toffee, creating a full-bodied, indulgent texture.

Finish: The finish lingers and effortlessly clings to the roof of the mouth.

Delicate peat resurfaces, rolling gently across the tongue with a green, grassy echo of Speyside origins.

This is Glenfarclas to its core.

The new Highland single malt Scotch whisky marks the 50^th anniversary of chairman and family member, John Grant

This week, we were thrilled to announce the release of a limited-edition 50-year-old Highland single malt Scotch whisky, to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of family member and chairman, John Grant first starting in the industry. The exciting new launch comes mere days after being named ‘Scottish Distiller of the Year 2023’ at the Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Dinner.

The oldest family-owned distillery in Speyside, John is the fifth generation of the Grant family to take the helm at Glenfarclas. The foresight of his ancestors has allowed the distillery, under John’s guidance, to produce and bottle a number of rare single malts spanning seven decades, including this latest release.

A stunning copper in colour, reminiscent of the magnificent stills at the distillery, Glenfarclas 50-Year-Old has been bottled at 50% ABV and tells the story of the distillery through its aroma and flavours. Selected for bottling by Distillery Manager, Callum Fraser, and Managing Director, Douglas Belford, the whisky demonstrates the skill of the distillery team 50 years ago, lead at the time by then Distillery Manager, Douglas MacDonald.

Laid down during the tenure of John’s father, George Grant, the malt offers marzipan, almond and cedar wood on the nose, with a sweet and smoky hint giving way to stewed apples and dark chocolate.

On the palate, the rich velvety dark chocolate notes lead to flavours of treacle toffee, mixed peel and a slightly smoky, sweet taste, surprisingly mellow for a single malt of this age. The flavours coat the mouth and provide a gentle, smooth finish which lingers for a long time.

By adding water, the whisky evolves further, creating more of a lightly peated aroma on the nose and a sweeter, woodier taste on the palate.

Callum Fraser, Distillery Manager, said: “Creating products like Glenfarclas 50-Year-Old is the reason I come to work. Producing something so special, which has such an incredible story behind it, is tribute to the passion that runs through everything we do at Glenfarclas.

“This new whisky is testament to the craftsmen who made the spirit and laid it down in the late 1960s and the foresight of the Grant family so many years ago. It showcases their skill and dedication to producing the highest quality Highland single malt, including the care and experience that goes into the time-honoured handcrafted tradition of whisky making, which is so important to us at Glenfarclas.

“To me, this dram is exquisite. It has an incredible depth of character and showcases every element of the whisky making process – from the earthy smell of the dunnage warehouse through to the light, natural smokiness of the Speyside peat that was used back then and the unique taste of the water we use in our production process. A whisky that evolves over time, both on the nose and on the palate, is truly exciting as it’s ever changing and developing. I hope the distillery manager in 50 years time is as impressed as I am by the quality of the spirit we are laying down for the future, today.”

After joining the industry in 1972, John took up post at Glenfarclas in 1974 where he spent time learning various areas of the business then developing the international sales markets, before becoming Managing Director in 1979 and Chairman in 2002. Over the last 50 years John has played an important role in the wider whisky industry, something which was recognised in 1997 when he became a Keeper of the Quaich, before being inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2021.

John Grant, Chairman and family member, added: “At Glenfarclas, we’re proud to be able to bottle rare, limited-edition, single malt whiskies to complement our exquisite range of spirits which are fundamental to our brand and story. This release is particularly special as it commemorates the 50 years I have worked in the industry, with the liquid in the cask evolving along with the industry during that time. I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved together as a distillery team over the last 50 years and look forward to releasing even more exquisite drams together in the future as Glenfarclas continues to evolve.”

836 bottles of Glenfarclas 50-Year-Old, encased in an engraved Glencairn bottle and nestled within a beautiful presentation box, will be available to purchase worldwide via our distributors over the coming weeks and months.

One of the most common questions whisky fans ask is “How long has Glenfarclas been around for?”

The answer is – we genuinely don’t know. We have a painting showing whisky production from 1791, but there is no evidence of a licensed distillery here at that time – and it’s clear from the painting that they had already been producing uisge beatha for some time.
That being said, you can’t really celebrate an inexact date, so we choose instead to mark the first official licence that the distillery was awarded, and this happened in May 1836. Although some would argue we shouldn’t be celebrating when our whisky was first taxed!

To mark the occasion, Callum Fraser (Distillery Manager) and Douglas Belford (Managing Director) were given the enviable task of going out in to the warehouses to hunt for casks from across the decades that they felt best represented our 185 year history. This was a long process, but after almost 2 years of adding a few casks at a time, they are more than delighted with the final result. This well layered dram with a phenomenal finish showcases the true Glenfarclas character. It was bottled at 46% and will be available soon from specialist whisky shops via our network of international distributors.

March 2017 saw the family and staff at J&G Grant help Donna McIntosh celebrate 25 years’ service – with cake, gifts and maybe even a dram!

In 1992 Donna arrived as a part-time guide, fitting in perfectly as she learned and subsequently taught visitors all there is to know about Glenfarclas whisky production and the Grant family.  One fellow guide at the time told her to “stick at it”, advice she thankfully listened to as she went on to become Visitor Centre Manageress in 1999.  Along with her team of guides, Donna professionally managed the tours and maintained the beautiful Visitor Centre that so many have been able to enjoy.   A desire to spend more time with her grandchildren saw Donna pass on the managerial duties to a colleague in 2015.  Nowadays she still enjoys her role as a guide and assists the new manager where she can.

Thank you for all the hard work, Donna.