glencadam 15 years

Glencadam 15 Years (2022)

Admittedly, Glencadam is such a blindspot for me. The distillery is nearing its bicentenary and is family-owned by the Hillmans (Angus Dundee). They bottle their whisky at 46 percent and don’t add any colouring to it, including the Glencadam 15 Years I’m reviewing today. There’s a lot to like on the surface, but for some reason they haven’t really been able to hold my attention yet.

Angus Dundee, and Glencadam by proxy, just go rather quietly about their business. I feel like they’ve spent a little more resources on marketing in recent years, but they’re still not ones to really push their single malt. And they’re probably right in not doing so. After all, most of the production from their distilleries (Tomintoul being the other one) is destined for blends.

The most hands-on experience with Angus Dundee I’ve had so far were two virtual tastings, one with Glencadam, the other with Tomintoul. Both were lovely experiences, if only because you could do worse than spend your evening listening to their passionate master blender Iain Forteath. And I’m seriously looking forward to one day visiting Glencadam and Tomintoul, to really learn what they’re all about.

For now though, the whisky will have to come to me. There’s not much to say about the Glencadam 15 Years before we dive into my tasting notes. I’m not even sure what cask types were used (and can’t find it anywhere on the distillery website either). An article on Malt mentions 60 – 60% first-fill ex-bourbon.

glencadam 15 years closeup

Glencadam 15 Years (46%, OB, 2022)

Nose: Fruity first impression with bright notes of red apples, stewed pears and vanilla, as well as some brown sugar and butterscotch. A hint of banana peels too, with finally a touch of meringues.
Taste: Creamy mouthfeel with quite a bit of wood spice, and even some resin, but also malty and sweeter notes. Hints of butterscotch, citrus pith and caramel. Some new oak too.
Finish: Lingering notes of black pepper, nutmeg and herbs. Medium in length.

Conclusion
Mature, well-rounded single malt, albeit not very singular. Quite a bit of cask influence and spiciness, the latter of which was a common thread with some other bourbon-forward Glencadam I've tried.
8.4

Sample provided by Monnik Dranken

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