Today I am reviewing the Glencadam 10 year old, for my second stop in the world of single malts exclusively aged in Borubon-barrels, after the Old Pulteney 12. This whisky has a reputation for being a great example of the more delicate side of Scottish single malt. It certainly has a following being nominated twice in the OSWAs in the Best Value whisky category.
TL:DR: “The Rather Delicate” is well deserved: it is like a comforting musical ditty, played by a maestro. Simple but so well executed.
Vote*: 7 very good indeed
A short overview of Glencadam
For all the love Glencadam gets from whisky aficionadoes, it still seems to remain very much under the radar for many. The distillery and its whisky seem to have settled into the role of being an insider tip: if you know, you know. If you don’t, we’ll keep it to ourselves. After all, with production of around 1.3 million litres per year, Glencadam remains relatively small compared to most Scottish distilleries.
The distillery was founded in 1825. The area in which it is located, along the coast between Dundee and Aberdeen, once was home to eight different distilleries. Following the whisky loch crisis in the 80’s only Glencadam itself and Fettercairn survived. Glencadam risked permanent closure too.
It was mothballed in 2000 but put back in production by 2003 when it was sold to current owners Angus Dundee, who also runs Tomintoul. Initially, the plan was to continue mainly using the distillate for blends. A large blending facility was installed on site in 2007. In time, it seems that Glencadam has turned more into a single malt first distillery. While the core range is firmly established, the distillery has launched a few new products on the market. The past year has seen several Glencadam special cask finish releases.
How to: Lyne arms and more for lighter spirit
The distillery has built a reputation for its lighter whisky. This comes from the character of the distilled spirit (and I would argue, the cask selection). The stills used have two features that increase reflux during distillation, which is known to give lighter new make spirit. The lyne arms, the pipes connecting the top of the still to the condensers, slope upwards by 14 degrees on both stills, forcing the heavier distillate fraction back in the still. While the stills themselves are plain, without constrictions or reflux bubbles to increase copper contact, the wash uses a unique external heater-diffuser which helps to increase copper contact. In practice, some of the wash circulates from the pot still into the diffuser to heat the remaining wash.
Let’s move on to the review of the Glencadam 10 to see if the theory translates into real life.
Glencadam 10 year old “The Rather Delicate”
Specs
Price paid: 46 €
Lot/bottled date: L22 10143 CB2 07/02/22
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: exclusively in American oak ex-bourbon barrels
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale straw. If I ever needed a demonstration of the difference between natural colour and caramel colouring addition, I just had to compare the hue of Glencadam 10 vs a bourbon-aged but colour-added dram like Glenmorangie 10.
Nose: The aromas are intense and show almost textbook Bourbon-cask-derived aromas. This is a pretty linear whisky. So while there isn’t a load of complexity, the delivery is clean and sharp.
The aromas open on loads of vanilla and sweet sugary notes that remind me of powdered sugar. There are plenty of fruit and citrus notes: very evident pear drops, cantaloupe, peach, pineapple lemon and lime (both peel and juice). Once I got used to the primary notes, I noticed some oatcakes, a floral hint of orange blossom, and some sweet spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. After a little time a hint of aniseed emerges on the nose, Even after close to an hour in the glass the nose remains pretty consistent
Taste: Medium mouthfeel. The taste is pretty consistent with the nose but maybe more citrusy & sweet than fruity, and with a more noticeable malt note. There is sweet vanilla syrup, lemon peel and curd, oaty biscuits and rolled oats. More spices on the palate: there is some ginger, cinnamon and aniseed. There is also some gentle oakyness.
Finish: The finish is medium in length, and quite intense. Again clear bright natural vanilla, some lemon peel, nutmeg, tinned peach and a hint of silky oak tannin on the aftertaste.
Vote*: 7 Very good stuff
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Conclusions
Sometimes simple is better. And just like the Glencadam 10, this time my conclusions will be simple and to the point. This is a delicate simple dram executed with mastery. The aromas are clear, clean and riff off each other. In musical terms, this is like a simple melody played by a master, without a wobble. I know I tend to look for complexity and richness, but reviewing the Glencadam 10 was a great reminder that skilful execution can be rewarding in itself.
One thing is sure. I am deeply impressed by Glencadam’s product. The 10-year-old goes into my permashelf, without a hint of a doubt. Moving forward, I will keep an eye out for more of their products, more the 13, 15 and 18-year-old bottles than the cask finishes. Having had a chance of sampling the 15, I found that age adds more complexity and richness without betraying the essence of the spirit Glencadam distils… damnd that Wishlist of whiskies keeps getting longer!
After writing my notes, I always like to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Glencadam 10 I enjoyed: