Glencadam: 15 Year (Scottish Highland Single Malt Whisky: 15 Year: 46% ABV)
Visual: Pale grain to gold.
Viscosity: Slow medium thickness puckering around the glass.
Nose: Heather. Toffee. Light alcohol touch. Roasted nuts and sugared almonds.
Body: Nutty. Custard. Lime touch. Heather. Toffee. Apples. Coffee cake. Water makes much sweeter and adds sugared almonds, and also cinnamon to the apple flavor. Very smooth with water. Late on gains Madeira cake and spice.
Finish: Alcohol air initially. Malt drinks and nuts. Light raisins. Pears. Coffee cake comes out with water.
Conclusion: What is the defining element of a whisky? Well in this case the defining element is one that barely shows up on first sip. On first examination this seems a pretty standard Highland whisky, heather, lightly sweet and nutty. I wasn’t too excited to say the least.
As time went on a light fruitiness in a speyside style came out, apples and pears into a raisins finish. It was a more interesting whisky but it still hadn’t yet reached the point that was to define it. Now, more fun, but still did not stand out from the crowd.
Them it finally came, dry crumbly coffee cake, a savoury and slightly bitter element that becomes the base which everything else works off. Then, over time, it develops into sweeter Madeira cake. This is especially noticeable with water, and it creates a fruitier, sweeter and spicier end to the dram.
The latter half of the whisky that shows the coffee and Madeira cake is what makes the whisky. It is refined, different and a good point for the other elements to work off. It feels classical, rich and refined and this makes it feel like a special treat.
So a whisky that starts off cutting close to the mold then makes its way to a delightfully different interpretation. A very interesting dram.
Background: Previously untried distillery time! I picked this up a while back, I ordered a bottle of whisky online for a friend, so decided to pick up a miniature for my own enjoyment at the same time. So, really I don’t know much on this one. Apart from the fact their tasting note on the back of the box is very bland, but since I only read that after doing my own notes I don’t think it influenced the review at all.
