Scotland, Speyside. Distillery operational. Owner: J&G Grant International. Independent & family-owned

Perhaps due to its status as an independent, family-owned distillery, Glenfarclas is a textbook case when it comes to tracing 70 years of Scotch whisky abroad. In addition to the intrinsic quality of its malt, heavily influenced by sherry cask maturation (until the late 1990s), it is also one of the most interesting brands to collect.In a time when most malt distilleries were producing in the shadow of blending companies (1950), the owners of Glenfarclas crossed sea and ocean to the United States, South Africa and Australia in order to sell their single malt. In the following decade, The Glenfarclas literally flooded the Italian market, which had something of a taste for very young malts (The Glenfarclas 5 Year Old 1971).Paying close attention to its customers' needs, the distillery released numerous bottles and labels, creating a varied range of young and aged versions, sometimes vintages, single casks, small batches and cask strengths, all whilst maintaining its authentic character. This led to a large number of limited editions bearing the name of the bar, restaurant or importer and sometimes even the name of the private client for whom the bottling had been produced.

A Glenfarclas distilled in 1969 and bottled by Signatory Vintage in 1989, matured for 20 years in sherry casks. Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington, who previously worked at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, where he would select casks specially for the hotel. In 2002, he bought the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, in the Highlands of Scotland and moved Signatory Vintage to the site, including the warehouses opposite the distillery. A limited edition of 900 bottles.