A sniff reveals what could be described as the classic single malt nose: malty and grassy, with a touch of honey and toffee, and a trace of sherry. On the palate, however, it’s an entirely different and untypical creature. The toffee is still there, but it rests in the middle of a thickly spiced, big and bold fruitcake, one seasoned with a whiff of smoke coming off the wood-burning oven it was baked in. The dried fruits in the fruitcake bring the sherry side forward strongly, but without smothering the cereals. There is also a certain burnt sugar aspect that gives the whisky a bitter tinge towards the end. One thing Glenfarclas 10 is not doing is following a standard, serialized script, that is for sure.