Glenfarclas kickstarts 16-year Hine project

Glenfarclas put a 16-year project in motion yesterday when the Speyside whisky distillery filled two old Hine Cognac casks as part of an informal exchange project between the two houses.

“I was speaking to Eric (Forget, cellar master of Hine) and he said ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to swap some casks?’”, explained George Grant, sales director of family-owned single malt Glenfarclas.

The result saw Glenfarclas send over a pair of hogsheads from its 2000 vintage, a year Grant described as “exceptional”. In return, Forget sent two 282 litre casks previously used to age the Grand Champagne eau de vie in Hine’s 1959 vintage Cognac.

As previously reported by the drinks business, the current plan is to release the resulting two products in 16 years’ time, just before Forget is due to retire.

Both houses distinguish themselves from others in their respective regions by putting such emphasis on vintage expressions.

Admitting that “whisky vintages don’t really exist,” Grant explained that, with the base barley product’s character experiencing a negligible impact from annual weather conditions, “some years are better than others, but that’s really down to the casks.”

However, he pointed to the growing popularity of Glenfarclas’ vintage styles, which date back to 1952,observing: “It’s amazing how many people want a whisky from the year they were born.”

In addition to sharing a UK agent, Pol Roger Portfolio, Grant highlighted the striking stylistic similarities between Hine and Glenfarclas which made this project especially attractive. Recalling a shared tasting organised by Pol Roger two years ago, Grant said of the tasting notes: “What really surprised Eric and I was that the comparisons were so, so similar.”

Although it is 16 years before the finished products are due for release, Grant confirmed that he planned to allow certain visitors the chance to “see how they’re tasting over a period of time.”

Click here for a full interview with George Grant.