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Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old is the Scottish Icon's Oldest Ever Expression
By Jacob Osborn - News
Published: 21 June 2025 |Last Updated: 20 June 2025
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Readtime: 4 min
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Glenfarclas, one of Scotland's few remaining family-owned and managed distilleries, has announced the release of its oldest whisky to date .
. Distilled on 20 November 1953, the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old marks a 'pinnacle' in the distillery's legacy.
marks a 'pinnacle' in the distillery's legacy. Only 262 bottles of the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old will be available globally from June 2025, with pricing starting at £20,000 (AUD$41,000), subject to regional variations.
If you know your Scotch, then you know Glenfarclas. Like so many of its whisky-making brethren, the Speyside distillery has been around for centuries and counting. However, it's one of Scotland's few operations that's still family-owned after all these years, making it the exception rather than the rule as various conglomerates continue to swallow the industry whole. From this enduring heritage comes the distillery's oldest expression yet, a 70-Year-Old whisky that's limited to just 262 bottles and available for a suggested retail price of £20,000 (AUD$41,000).
With its latest release, Glenfarclas joins a growing number of distilleries that are breaking personal records in terms of age statements. Over the past few years alone, everyone from Highland Park to The Macallan has likewise debuted their oldest expressions to date. However, don't take that to mean these whiskies are anything short of small miracles, Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old being no exception. Distilled all the way back in 1953, the liquid has survived six different distillery managers across seven decades.
Glenfarclas distillery manager Callum A. Fraser | Image: Glenfarclas
'This is true Glenfarclas and this expression captures the very DNA of the distillery,' distillery manager Callum A. Fraser said. 'What we did 30 or 40 or even 70 years ago is very much what we still do today. The warehouses are still here, holding decades of stories in their walls. At the heart of it all, tradition remains key.'
'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.'
Detractors might argue that excessive maturation doesn't amount to a better-tasting spirit (in fact, some attest that overexposure to oak can have a detrimental effect), but we're nevertheless intrigued by this new – and by that, we mean old – release. Matured in first-fill sherry casks inside the distillery's dunnage warehouses, the whisky predictably imparts a dark teak colour.
The nose goes big on stewed fruit with gentle peaty accents, followed by an impossibly rich palate of dark chocolate, toffee, spice, sherry, dried fruit, and roasted coffee. A long and mouth-coating finish resurrects the smoky undertones and presumably cultivates a fair amount of oak and spice before trailing out.
Glenfarclas Chairman John Grant | Image: Glenfarclas
Naturally, as one of the last truly independent distilleries standing in Scotland, Glenfarclas remains a beacon of craftsmanship and defiance in the industry. For fifth-generation family member John Grant, the release of this highly coveted 70-year-old expression is testament to the unwavering dedication of the entire Glenfarclas team.
'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,' Grant said. '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.'
Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old | Image: Glenfarclas
Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old makes up part of the Warehouse Series and comes preceded by 30, 35, and 40-year expressions, respectively. Unlike some neighbouring brands – cough, The Macallan, cough – this distillery doesn't go overboard with the presentation. That is to say, the whisky comes with the same understated bottle design and packaging as the other releases in the range, so as to let the liquid speak for itself. And based on what we can infer, there's a lot of speaking to do.
The Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old will be available globally from June 2025 through a select network of specialist retailers in over 50 markets. The recommended retail price is £20,000 (AUD$41,000), subject to regional variations.
Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old | Image: Glenfarclas
