Glencadam 15 Year

Nose: Gentle, sweet grain notes with floral and fruit undertones. Waxy sweetness, apple flowers, berries, and abundant fresh vanilla bean and caramel candy. As it sits, the vanilla and caramel become more prominent. Palate: A smooth, rich entry with loads of honey, sweet malt, and vanilla. These combine into a wonderful butterscotch taste and reveal fruit notes (apple, pear). It has a character reminiscent of sweet beer (or fermenting wort) but without any sourness or yeastiness – just very pure, sweet, and welcoming. The mouthfeel is full yet bright and satisfying. Finish: Moderate. The lingering taste is of malt and red apple peel, with a touch of dryness. Initially, this spirit is all about fruit, honey, and grain, but the sweeter vanilla and caramel aspects eventually take over. While this could become overly sweet, subtle oak provides a spicy counterpoint at the base. A faint whisper of sea salt is present in both the aroma and taste, but it's very subtle, and there's genuine development in the glass. It's been some time since I last tried Glencadam, and now I regret the delay. An extremely enjoyable drink that is very easy to approach while also possessing grace and complexity. The character is so clear you can almost sense freshly milled barley, but it's not harsh. Sampled from a 30ml pour. "Excellent": 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Review #52 - Whisk(e)y #36. The 50ml sample came in excellent packaging, a small cylindrical box. Compared directly with the Glencadam 10. Chill-filtered - No Added Colour - No ABV - 46% Appearance - Darker than the 10, with a straw color and an oily texture. Nose - Clearly older, more cohesive and balanced. It's creamier, with honey, vanilla, sweetness, and malt, yet still retains citrus and lighter notes, along with spice and alcohol. The orchard fruit is riper, resembling yellow apple and pear, and oak is now noticeable. Palate - Creamy, with honey, vanilla, sweetness, more intense flavor, and greater character. Oak and its associated spice are present (though much less sharp than in the 10yo), and it has an oily mouthfeel. Wonderful. Finish - Medium length, showing some herbal notes, though less prominent than in the 10yo, now accompanied by wood and dryness. Quite tasty, but prohibitively expensive for a full bottle at approximately 60 euros or more. Adding a few drops of water enhances the creamy sweetness and further softens the spice, but I would certainly not buy a full bottle at this price... with water, it closely resembles Bushmills Steamship Bourbon Cask, which I can get for 36 eur per liter. The Bushmills, of course, lacks the superior mouthfeel, but it's still comparable.

Did a tasting with the '10', '15', and '21'. The '10' is obviously still rough around the edges, but has a pleasant fruity flavor profile that makes up for it. It has a nice citrus zing to it. Very enjoyable. Good value for money. The '15' is spicier and leans much heavier into chocolate and caramel flavors after the extra maturation. Tasty, but a heavier taste. Maybe more for winter. It is smoother than the 10, but loses some of the fun, refreshing zing that the 10 has. The '21' went back a bit to some of the more fruity flavors. It tries to find balance between the flavor profile of the '10' and '15'. Definitely nice, and I prefer it to the '15', but at the higher price point and compared to other brands, I'm not really convinced to add it to my collection. I really enjoy the '10'. It's the only one of the three that I want to add to my collection, based on enjoyment and price.

The aroma presents fresh pears, peaches, and vanilla. It's truly welcoming. Evokes images of a fruit pie picnic in an orchard during a crisp, late summer afternoon. The taste is vanilla custard with a topping of apple and pear compote. The finish is of moderate duration, with a spicy note and a reappearance of the orchard fruits. Add a touch of water… The orchard experience reverts to springtime with fresh fruit blossoms. The taste gains a bit more tartness, and the finish extends.

Aroma: Green apples, fresh lemon juice, cracked black pepper, and a burst of sea spray. Palate: A creamy texture, salty, with green apples and lemon, a touch of vanilla extract, and finishing with some oakiness. After resting for 15-20 minutes, an interesting sweetness emerges, with raspberries and raisins. Medium finish, with cloves, cinnamon, spice, more oak, and a slight dryness.

46% ABV, not chill filtered, no added coloring. Nose: apple, honey, berries, toffee, bread, flowers Palate: honey, cream, butterscotch, berries, almonds, warm spices Finish: long, warm and spicy This whisky is spicy and full of strength and depth. I am surprised and will be buying this whisky again. Great stuff.