Glencadam Distillery Core Range – Virtual Tasting
You might have noticed that we have been a bit quite recently – nothing to worry about, we’ve got LOTS of exciting reviews coming for you over the next couple of months!
The first is Glencadam. We were very lucky to be invited to a series of online tastings with Angus Dundee Distillers, including their Glencadam and Tomintoul core ranges. Our first evening with Iain – their Brand Ambassador – focused on the 10, 15 and 21 y/o expressions from Glencadam.
*The samples mentioned below, were kindly gifted to us by the team at Angus Dundee*
Distillery History
Initially opening in 1825, Glencadam has had a colourful past. Full of a variety of owners, mothballing through both world wars, eventually culminating in being bought by Angus Dundee Distillers in 2003.
A full breakdown of the distillery history can be found here – https://www.glencadamwhisky.com/heritage – we suggest you pour yourself a dram to accompany your reading!
Angus Dundee Distillers
A quick note on Angus Dundee Distillers – who invited us to the event. A family owned business based in Scotland, they own both Glencadam and Tomintoul. For 70ish years they mostly focused on blended whiskies, with single malts being a new category for them in 2000 and 2003 for Tomintoul and Glencadam respectively.
Tasting Notes
Our lovely hosts for the evening were Iain and Ben. The idea behind the evening was to demonstrate the backbone of their whisky range; a comprehensive introduction to the brand.
Throughout the evening Iain was incredibly knowledgeable answering every and any question that we could think of. It was a small, intimate zoom session that really felt as though we had Iain in the room with us.
But without further ado, our tasting notes …
Glencadam 10 y/o – 46% ABV
Nose: citrus, apples, lemon oil, oaky spice with stone fruits and sweetness from pineapple there was also a hint of salinity to it
Palate: dried pitted fruits, blossom in the rain and that ever present bowl of nuts at Christmas
Finish: oaky spice with pineapple and bitterness like tonic water
With 50% first fill bourbon barrels, this whisky is very fresh with a nose that is definitely sweeter than the palate. An easy crowd pleaser, and a great introduction to the base-flavours of Glencadam spirit.
Glencadam 15 y/o – 46% ABV
Nose: poached pear, more intense creamy fudge, heavy rain on a farm yard with hints of pear drops from a sweet shop
Palate: toasted almond, vanilla fudge, more pears with sweeter notes from peaches, very thick on the mouth fell
Finish: tropical fruits with the typical bourbon notes in the background followed by grapefruit
This was my favourite of the three drams. With bags of fruit flavour, it is a fantastic example of the power of the ageing process. In comparison to the 10 y/o the creaminess was more pronounced, with flavours leaning towards a post-dinner dram.
Glencadam 21 y/o – 46% ABV
Nose: vanilla, honey, pear with hints of liquorice, crunchy bar, earthy mushroom and fresh orange juice
Palate: sweet peppercorn, honeyed orange peel, grilled tropical fruit
Finish: less dry than the 15, lots more of that citrusy fruit that has been lightly charred, blackcurrant strepsil (in a good way), overall a very smooth dram
The lengthier ageing added more rich tones, with peppercorn and liquorice notes; slightly surprising given the direction of the first two drams.
Final Thoughts
We’d like to finish by saying a HUGE thank you to Iain and the team at Glencadam. It was lovely to see some familiar faces from the #InstaWhisky sphere and Iain was a brilliant virtual host.
It’s always interesting to learn about the intricacies of a distillery, and be “let behind the closed doors” to see their processes. The 15 y/o is something quite special – a wonderful balance of spice, fruit, and light vanilla. Certainly a distillery we will be trying to visit when we finally make it to Scotland!
The Dram Duo 
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