
May 1, 2017

Glencadam 19 + 25

The other day we tried a few Glencadams and they were quite good. I added that we’d try the 25 soon, and so today is the day, pure logic. But first a younger one…

Glencadam 19 yo (46%, OB, oloroso finish, 6000 bottles, +/-2016)

Amazing, a sherry finish! Just joking, it’s always better when they say it that it’s just a finishing… Colour: gold. Nose: it is lovely. I often use the word lovely, but this is ‘oranges’ lovely, with some marmalade, a little mango jam, hints of peonies early in the morning (and why not), golden sultanas… It really is aromatic and fresh, this really worked. Mouth: perhaps a little less coherent, with some black pepper fighting the creamy oranges a bit, as well as cloves and caraway a little ‘in the front’, but otherwise, all is well, with some Grand-Marnier and even more sultanas. Perhaps very ripe nectarines. Finish: quite long, spicy, with more citric tones, a little icing sugar, and then some kind of peppered chocolate like they make in Spain (and they make it very well). Greener, bitterer aftertaste. Comments: excellent, with a finishing that did not try to mimic full maturing in heavy sherry. Only the aftertaste was a little problematic (bitterish), and in my opinion that often happens with finishings, I don’t quite know why. SGP:551 - 85 points.

Glencadam 25 yo ‘The Remarkable’ (46%, OB, bourbon, 1600 bottles, +/-2016)

Not too sure about the name, sounds a bit like Friday marketing. But yeah, who cares about the names when we’ve got the ages? Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather very perfect, bright, delicately malty, but with a firm waxy structure, some sweet barley, a touch of papaya, and crushed fresh hazelnuts. Then perhaps cigarettes and a little cedar wood, plus a little praline. This is some very elegant nose. Indeed, rather remarkable. Mouth: starts with bright yellow fruits, yellow peaches, even a touch of pineapple, a drop of litchi juice, then we rather have more tropical fruits (more papayas, perhaps guavas) and pink grapefruits. Some vanilla but not much, and a little sugar syrup, although it never gets sugary as such. Finish: medium, really fruity, with little oakiness and rather crisp oranges plus juicy marzipan. Also sugar Easter eggs? Comments: I knew this was going to be pretty excellent. It’s rather sweet on your palate. SGP:641 - 87 points.

Check the index of all Glencadam I've tasted so far

April 2017

Favourite recent bottling:
Port Ellen 33 yo 1983/2016 (55.9%, The First Editions, Author’s Series, sherry butt, 142 bottles) - WF 94

Favourite older bottling:
Port Ellen 11 yo (46%, Wilson & Morgan, Barrel Selection, bottled by Cadenhead, +/-1992) - WF 92

Favourite bang for your buck bottling:
Benromach 10 yo (43%, OB, +/-2017) -
WF 88

Favourite malternative:
Grande Champagne ‘Lot 19 NO.24’ (43.1%, The Whisky Agency, 38 bottles, 2016) -
WF 93