Side by side : A Glencadam flight

A small Highland distillery who's stock was traditionally used by blenders found a new lease of life with a new owner and is now releasing a wide range of aged statemented whiskies.

Let try some!

Glencadam started distilling in 1825 in the Highland town of  Brechin. As was common with distilleries at the time it changed hands, closed and reopened, it was also mothballed during both world wars with it's warehouses used to barrack soldiers. The distillery was eventually closed by Allied Domeq in 2000.

The distillery was eventually bought by Angus Dundee Distillers in 2003, who had bought Tomintoul three years earlier. It's unusual name come from:

"the area known as “The Tenements of Caldhame”. These were plots of ground given to the burghs of Brechin for food production. They were situated to the north and south east of the Den Burn where the distillery stands."

 

Unpeated barely is mashed in six stainless steel wash backs with water from springs at The Moorans in a short fermentation of around 48 hours.

Photo: Reb Mordechai

The wash is distilled in a single pair of copper pot stills with unusual upward pointing lyne arms (at an angle of 15 degrees) through shell and tube condensers to produce a "particularly delicate and mellow spirit" between 65 and 75% ABV.

Photo: Glencadam

The whisky is then matured onsite in a mix of dunnage and racked warehouses.

Photo: designlimitededition

Let's see what the whisky is like:

Dram	Reserva Andalucia	10yo	15yo	25yo
Characteristics	46% ABV Natural colour, nonchill filtered Sherry & Ex bourbon, Oloroso finish	46% ABV Natural colour, nonchill filtered Ex bourbon casks	46% ABV Natural colour, nonchill filtered Ex bourbon casks	46% ABV Natural colour, nonchill filtered Ex bourbon casks
Distillery notes	Master Distiller Robert Fleming, carefully chose the very best sherry butts from the ancient dunnage warehouses at Glencadam to create Reserva Andalucia. Once married together with bourbon casks, it was finished in Oloroso sherry butts from the famous sherry region of Spain, Jerez in Andalucia. Nose: Initial aromas of ripe soft fruits, soft nougat and oaky vanilla with a background of freshly made fudge. Palate: Smooth and creamy with sultanas, orchard fruits and toffee apple sweetness. Finish: Long lasting and silky smooth with honey, muscovado sugar and green tea lingering on the tongue.	Multi-award winning Glencadam Highland Single Scotch Malt Whisky Aged 10 Years is a fine example of centuries of craftsmanship and tradition. “The rather delicate” malt with a beautifully balanced, pure flavour. Nose: Tangy and fresh with aromas of tropical fruits and citrus bound by a soft vanilla sweetness and baking spices. Palate: Bright and grassy with layers of pineapple, lemon curd and brioche with citrus zest highlights. Finish: Clean and crisp with notes of yellow fruits, vanilla pod and nutmeg spices.	Multi-award winning Glencadam Highland Single Scotch Malt Whisky Aged 15 Years is a fine example of centuries of craftsmanship and tradition. “The rather dignified” malt with a beautifully mouth-watering, true flavour. Nose: Pronounced orchard fruits and vanilla pod mingled with aromas of citrus peels and toasted nuts. Palate: Sweet and creamy with layers of sugared almond and panna cotta followed with notes of dried apple, nutmeg and cocoa powder. Finish: Perfectly balanced with creamy rice pudding and gentle cinnamon spices lingering long on the tongue.	Multi-award winning and limited edition Glencadam Highland Single Scotch Malt Whisky Aged 25 is a fine example of centuries of craftsmanship and tradition. “The rather remarkable” malt with a beautifully round, true flavour. Nose: Bright and aromatic with notes of stone fruits, apple blossom, acacia honey and sweet cake spices. Palate: Tangy pear and peach fruit notes mingled with brittle toffee, toasted hazelnut and Danish pastry cushioned with peppery spices. Finish: Warming and toasty with layers of oat biscuits, lemon curd, greengage and citrus zest leaving a fruity and herbal linger.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Mid gold in the glass, swirls leave a hairline crack in the glass which form large beads falling as slow thick legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls leave a hairline crack in the glass which beads up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls again leave a hairline crack in the glass which beads up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.	Mid gold in the glass, swirls leave a hairline crack in the glass which beads up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Orchard fruit, tropical fruit, icing sugar and hints of vanilla. Apples, pears, peaches, dried pineapple and a little mango.	Dry icing sugar, a little toffee or fudge and gentle tropical fruit notes. Again hints of vanilla. The dried pineapple is back.	Like the 10yo dry icing sugar, a little toffee or fudge and gentle tropical fruit notes but this time there is some sour citrus too. Again hints of vanilla.	A lot more wood on this one - well it has been in the cask for a quarter of a century! Tropical fruit and citrus are back and the ever present icing sugar.
Palate	Smooth creamy arrival, loads of fresh fruit and a little bite of peppery spice. Stewed pears, peach and a little pineapple.	Thick spicy arrival, ginger spice mixes with sweet honey and orchard fruit notes. Some grassy notes alongside a lovely sour citrus. Nice.	Sweet, malty, orchard fruit a little citrus. There's no real spice but a gentle warming. The icing sugar dryness form the nose doesn't show on the palate.	Smooth creamy arrival, spicy pepper and loads of tropical fruit. Pears and peaches mix with pineapple and mango. A little nutty toffee and dry icing sugar.
Finish	Short sweet honey and a little spice.	Short sweet honey and a little spice.	Long, warming and slightly sour. Nice.	Long, drying icing sugar with honey and a peppery spice. Nice.
Overall	A great set of drams, all sharing distillery characteristics of tropical fruit, a little citrus and a lovely spice bite. All presented at a great ABV. As you'd expect the older drams had more complexity, initially I thought the 25yo was too woody, but that was only on the nose - the palate opened up with the tropical fruit and citrus of it's younger siblings but added some nutty toffee into the mix.  The 25yo is expensive, as are most other distilleries at this age, but the others are reasonably priced and worth trying.