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Glenfarclas is one of the few distilleries left in
private ownership, now 5 generations in the Grant family (not to be mistaken
with the Grant's from Glenfiddich). We had our tour during the silent
season, so unfortunately no distilling took place. A plus point was that
our tour guide is one from the production force of the distillery. They
have a choice to work doing maintenance or as a tour guide during the
silent season. During production he is the mashman, good for lots of hands-on
stories. Sticking your head in the washbacks on a Monday morning to clear
away the wild weekend is one we'll remember...
Although its location on the foot of Benrinnes is a beautiful one, the
distillery itself is not the most prettiest to look at. That's not to
say of the interior of the visitor center however. A hallway with a small
shop and a good set of displays, including old bottles of Glenfarclas,
lead to the ships room. The walls have incorporated the original carved
oak panels from the smoking room of the Empress of Australia. Also the
bar in the room is original, and you'll enjoy your dram that concludes
the tour here.
 The
tour itself show some interesting features your not always seeing on other
tours. The de-stoner and stainless steel washbacks for example. Also the
electronic control panel which was high-tech back when Glenfarclas installed
it, but where the technicians have a hard time getting spare parts for
now will catch your eye.
The tour through the production area ended in the warehouse, another bonus
your not always experiencing in all distilleries. If you are going to
have a tour at Glenfarclas, do not forget to visit their website, and
print out the coupon that will give you a dram of 30 year old at the end
of the tour. Although our guide told us we would have got it without a
coupon too, and a very generously sized one as well!
A very enjoyable and solid tour, with lots of hands-on information single
malt aficionados will love.
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