Glenfarclas 12yo Official Bottling
Single Malt Scotch OB | 43% ABV
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
The experience is special, but let’s be honest about the whisky
Ode to the Planecairn
Travel is stressful.
It’s hurried, frantic, frustrating, and beset with irritations for even the most seasoned jetsetters. Tolerance of others is at its all-time low. The satisfaction of arriving at one’s eventual destination seems far off when in the moment there’s last-minute packing, traffic, delays, and the myriads of challenges that besiege passengers daily.
Even solo travel can be a trying enterprise, not to mention the agitations of an excursion with loved ones. Uncooperative kids, arguing and raised voices, tempers flaring, moods darkening, resentment rising, patience shortening - and the slightest irritations boiling over into a full-blown family civil war.
Yes, travel is stressful.
The last four to five years have come with new business opportunities that force me to travel more often for work, which means significant time spent at airports. I’ve seen it all. The chaos of a family sprinting full speed toward their gate, the crestfallen couple unable to get through security and plans dashed because one forgot their ID, the defeated look of a mother forced to miss her flight because her son was detained by security for tripping an alarm.
Oh, the screeching of alarms. Los Angeles International Airport is famous for two things: the “Horseshoe of Death” that bottlenecks incoming traffic into an unnavigable morass and the constant blaring of alarms. Tripping alarms is easy, turning them off apparently requires an act of congress. I hear them in my sleep.
Luckily, salvation awaits in the form of the most hallowed of American traditions: The Airport Beer. Oasis for the weary. Beacon of deliverance for the exhausted voyager.
Most would agree the airport beer is a top beer. At least top five. Somewhere between the “Summer-by-the-pool-beer” and “Friday-night-happy-hour-beer.” Especially since the airport beer lives in a completely judgment-free zone. 7:00AM on a Wednesday? Belly up partner, this is a safe space.
The airport beer is liberation from between-flight stress or a day plagued by long security lines, arguments, and traffic. The first true sip of vacation. If the “out of office” email had a mascot it would be a tall, frosty cold one. Relief in a chilled glass, each sip a further disconnection from the woes of the daily grind.
I include the airport beer because it’s a custom for so many, especially in America. I once was an eager participant, but as my tastes shifted from beer to whisky - and the experience of being forced to “chug” a 24oz beer before a flight because a friend and I mis-timed our gate arrival and an annoyed voice over the intercom called us by name to the gate left me bloated and fighting heartburn (no one should chug beers past the age of 24, just not recommended for a long list of reasons). I was forced to move on.
Plus, I get to skip the airport beer entirely these days because a better award awaits: The Plane Dram.
Flying as often as I do with one airline comes with a host of rewards, including “Premier Status”. Corporate penance for the small fortune I spend annually on air travel. One of these benefits is a complimentary beverage service. That’s right, FREE alcohol in the Year of our Lord Two-Thousand-And-Twenty-Six. Why spend $25 on an airport beer when drinks are on the house?
At first I would enjoy a glass of wine since the liquor options were a range of celebrity tequilas and Jack Daniels, but sometime over the last year the airline expanded their selection to include Glenfarclas 12.
The first time I ordered one I may not have been clear – and I’m not going to complain too much because this is free scotch whisky we’re talking about – but what came back was a glass about 80% full of ice and the rest something resembling a whisky. I’ll do my best not to come across as a complete snob here, but like the song says, I drink my whisky neat.
The next time I clarified that I’d prefer no ice, but the glass was not to my liking either, a half-glass half-plastic cheap airline cup. A decision was made. From now on I’m bringing my own Glencairn glass.
And so our tale begins.
Taking glasses in a carry-on bag is easy, simply ensure it’s wrapped, protected, and easily accessible, made ready at the time of beverage service.
I’ll admit it was a bit of a novelty at first, but from this exchange, the Planecairn was born.
“…And what would you like sir?”
“Glenfarclas please, and could you just bring the little bottle? I brought my own glass.” I point to a glistening Glencairn resting reverently on the tray table.
“Oh! Wow, ok… uh, you sure did… Umm, yeah let me bring that to you. I have to open the bottle though; I can’t give it to you sealed.”
“Totally fine, thanks so much!”
At first I was a little self-conscious, there was someone sitting next to me who said with hints of scorn: “Did you really bring your own glass?” Judgment. I wasn’t secure enough in my whisky journey to risk derision by strangers. I was just having fun. Was it all for naught?
Luckily what happened next vindicated my decision.
During the second round of beverage service on what was a longer flight, I overheard the flight attendant tell the passenger in front of me they were out of whisky. Oh well, I had to be satisfied with one free dram instead of two. I stowed my glass and made my way to the bathroom. On the way back to my seat I passed by the flight attendant’s station, she got my attention and beckoned me over.
“So, I actually have one more bottle of that scotch. I just said that we didn’t have any to a guy in front of you because you brought that fancy glass and I wanted to make sure you got it…”
She motioned for me to hold out my hand and very discreetly placed the tiny bottle in my palm. We both glanced furtively down the aisle. The other passengers suspected nothing. Success. I stealthily placed the treasure in my pocket, casually made my way back to my seat, dug the Planecairn back out and poured away.
Now I was emboldened. Special. My worries about judgment from others… gone. Self-consciousness morphed into self-confidence with one gesture. I even whipped out my little dram diary and took notes, liberated and impervious to scorn from others. I mean who is going to turn down TWO free whiskies? The guy who sat in smug judgment earlier got zero free whiskies. Sucks to be him.
No longer a novelty, the Plane Dram ritual is born.
The Planecairn has become such a tradition that I’ve even secured a carrying case for the glasses. No longer wrapped in cloth or paper towels like an amateur - professional plane dramming requires professional tools. I leaned into my whisky snobbery and reaped the benefits of additional free pours on multiple flights.
Review
Glenfarclas 12yo, Official bottling, 5cl miniature, matured in ‘sherry casks’, 43% ABV
$0 paid, usually $60 (£45) for 70cl & wide availability
Dramface has not necessarily been kind to the largest and oldest family-owned Speyside Distillery. Most of the core range has been dismissed, but I was pleased to see the 12 year old hasn’t yet received appraisal within these pages. But before I get to my notes, I want to say I’m happy Glenfarclas made their way into the rotation on a major American airline. At the time of writing this (currently at high altitude rounding out my notes for the dozenth time with a pour of ‘farclas at hand), it’s still on the menu.
It could easily be Johnnie Walker or Glenlivet or another mass-marketed, mass-produced 1.5 oz bottle that sits between Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace on the whisky list. Honestly good for them, and good for scotch whisky. Maybe that’s part of the appeal.
I actually like Glenfarclas. At higher ABV it has engagement and complexity beyond typical “sherry bombs.” I agree with Murdo’s write-up last year comparing two cask strength whiskies and his plea to the distillery to consider integrity bottling. The 15 year and 105 cask strength core releases are decent-if-not-great bottles in the Dunlop collection and although I’ve never tried any of the vaunted “Family Cask” series that are a little out of reach financially, a few independent bottlings also grace the shelves I enjoy.
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
The experience is special, but let’s be honest about the whisky
Nose
Watery apple juice. Fruitcake. Hints of baking spices and cinnamon. Weak iced tea. Raisins. There’s a nice malty backbone here like monkey bread and oatmeal cookies. Red delicious apple cores. Some nuttiness like roasted almonds. Capri sun. Light peppermint. Hints of orange peel. Pink frosting. No water added. I keep coming back for more, but it’s just a light 12 year sherried whisky at 43% ABV. To me it noses of adventures to come and recycled airplane air.
Palate
Apple pie and more fruitcake. Apple cinnamon oatmeal. Round and smooth. A juicy mouthfeel that’s enjoyable and drinkable if not a little thin and basic. There is a lingering malty-cakiness I like. Red velvet. Honey sweetness. Apricots. There’s a dry, fruity stickiness on the finish with a little peppery spice that adds some depth and doesn’t let this dram fall totally flat. It’s fine.
The Dregs
There’s not much to it. It’s Glenfarclas Core Range 12 year old. The pours are free. There’s engagement and it’s a decent dram - nothing to complain about. There’s still character here and it has the bones of good whisky, but more depth and complexity would obviously make it more palatable to enthusiasts. It fits the Dramface score perfectly, it’s “Average in a good way.”
Perhaps it’s perfect whisky for the masses. An introductory pour for the harried traveler eager for respite from the day’s stress. Hopefully, other passengers eager for a drink or ordering something different decide this is good and begin a journey into the wonderful world of whisky. Maybe that’s overly optimistic, but one can always hope.
I’d recommend any of our loyal readers stash a glass and see what pours lie ahead, like whisky itself; Planecairns are for everyone.
I must disclose according to Dramface rules that I have yet to pay for any of my Planecairn drams, but scores of tickets add up, and one doesn’t reach “Premier Status” without logging dozens of flights and thousands of miles. But hey, free is free.
I did see this bottle at a liquor store one day (at full-size and not in plane bottle form). I’ll admit I reached out and gave the bottle a love tap. I was travelling the next day, see you soon old friend.
Score: 5/10
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