
April 21, 2017

Three Glencadam

I may have written before that I’m feeling that it’s shame that after some pretty great official bottlings that came out around ten or fifteen years ago, Glencadam seems to have sunken into (relative) oblivion again. It’s a great dram!

Glencadam ‘Origin 1825’ (40%, OB, +/-2016)

No age statement, that famous trick with founding years and such, 40% vol. and a sherry finish… Pretty much the lowest form of marketing creativity if you ask me. But indeed this might be good, if a little, say despairing. Colour: straw. Nose: porridge, oatcakes, and gravel at first nosing, then more sweetish barley character, not unpleasant at all. Some pears and touches of varnish suggest this is quite young indeed. Mouth: good, sweet, malty, with some vanilla, pineapple syrup and some raisins, plus some peppery oak. Apple pie, some cinnamon, a touch of caraway. Finish: not that short, creamy, barleyish, peppery. Comments: I’m not going to write a novel about this baby, but I think it’s rather fair and honest. SGP:441 - 78 points.

Glencadam 18 yo (46%, OB, +/-2016)

Probably too expensive at 80 to 100€, but you never know, it may be a winner. What’s sure is that the distillate has got the ‘potential’, if not a name. Colour: white wine. Bizarrely paler than the NAS. Nose: this is much subtler, with many more garden fruits (first) and then even bananas and papayas. Now it’s also very barley-y and malty, with some golden syrup, maple syrup, cornflakes, light honey (sunflower?), honeysuckle, a little fresh mint… It may not be a very characterful spirit, but in this very ‘classical’ style, it’s fatter than Glenfiddich or Glenlivet. Mouth: same comment, pretty much. Pear and apple cakes, African banana cake, a little marmalade, then more all-spice, pepper, cinnamon… Solid body, good mouthfeel. Finish: medium, malty and spicy, with a sweet touch again. More apple cake. Comments: I’m not finding it quite a excellent as the official 21 yo that I tried a few years back (WF 88), or as the 15 from ten years ago (WF 87) but it’s still high-level malt whisky. SGP:551 - 84 points.

Glencadam 18 yo 1998/2016 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask # 11474, 310 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: well, it’s simply a fresher variant of the official 18, with a little more orange and pink grapefruit. Wee touches of chalk as well, which makes it a little more complex. Weetabix. Mouth: start with orange drops, many orange drops, and goes on with a tropical side that’s rather more citrusy than others. Shall we say it sits between a Tomatin and a Rosebank? The wee chalky side is still there as well. I’m finding this very good and rather more singular than the OBs. Finish: medium very fresh. All-vitamin fruit juice, a little green tea. Comments: super good, and quite a surprise. It’s even a little cheaper than the official 18, so a no-brainer IMHO. SGP:641 - 87 points.

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