New Release: Glenfarclas 2000-2015 14 Year Old Official Whisky Fair Release #3639,6394

A young official Glenfarclas bottling for Limburg was released simultaneously in two varieties. First, the 2000 vintage. Glenfarclas GLENFARCLAS 2000-2015 14yo Official Bottling for The Whisky Fair #3639,6394 52.1% Sherry Butt (#3639), Refill Sherry Hogshead (#6394) The aroma features recent sherry, caramelized nuts, orange, candy chocolate, young strong barley, and biscuits. Upon drinking, it initially isn't too harsh but becomes rough. Recent sherry notes and young barley character are present, with caramelized nuts, jam-like sweetness, woody astringency, faint bitterness, and an oily finish remain on the palate. [Okay/Good] This is an official bottling for this year's Limburg Whisky Fair. It seems both the 2000 and 2001 vintages were released simultaneously. Although both are young, they differ from the image of Mr. Karsen, who favors long-matured estery and tropical flavors. I tasted them together, starting with the 2000 vintage. Recent sherry notes dominate the aroma, but as expected, there's no maturity, and the barley character is surprisingly young and strong for a sherry cask. The aroma emphasizes this youthful, assertive barley attack. There's also sufficient sweetness but a notable astringency and light bitterness. While I wouldn't say it's exceptionally delicious as a whisky, it does have a diverse aroma and feels like it's still developing. As a sample of young sherry casks, I find this release interesting. Additionally, I'm curious about how such releases will evolve in the future. Regarding this 2000 vintage, unlike the two 2001 hogsheads, it's a blend of different specifications: a butt (probably first-fill) and refill hogshead sherry casks. Since you can't taste each barrel before blending, they likely sampled and simplified the blend, then ordered this combination. For example, it might be a blend of a strong first-fill sherry butt (with pronounced sweetness and bitterness) with a milder refill hogshead. It's not about calculating L by L but blending entire casks, and even a short time after blending could change the flavor. It feels like a risky move. According to those involved in sampling for bottling at the Whisky Fair, they seem to sample continuously as new samples come up. I'm very interested in understanding the intent and method behind such blending processes.