Cadenhead Creations 44 Year Light Fruity Sherry

Well it’s the new year. I was so close to hitting 300 tastes before the end of 2018, and if it wasn’t for a nasty cold that hit me on Christmas I probably would have made it. C’est La Vie. I’m finally feeling more like myself so I figured the best thing to do was have a dram, one that’s older than I am, and thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine I just so happen to have one. Light Fruity Sherry is a 44 year old blended scotch from Cadenhead. Bottled at 43.4% ABV, natural color of a dark copper and is non chill filtered. Only 346 bottles were released. The nose is light, fruity sherry...I guess they were quite literal with their naming process. It starts with melons, both cantaloupe and honeydew, then transitions into berries, raspberry and blackberry. Oranges, mangos and apricots. Soft sherry notes but very pleasant. Vanilla, apples, even a faint apple cider vinegar and grapes. The general rule for whisky is to let it sit a minute in the glass for every year in the cask, so I let it sit a while longer. Coming back to it I got chocolate notes, caramel and chocolate licorice. Wood spices, cloves, nutmeg, chai spices, and a salty note appears. Not a sweet dram, but quite savory. The palate has plenty of wood spice up front, but also plenty of fruits. Tropical fruits - mango, oranges, pineapple juice and even some faint banana. Spice cake, nutmeg and light oaky notes. Caramel and creme brûlée. Not a very deep or complex palate considering it’s advanced age, but nice nonetheless. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is quite oily and mouth coating. The finish is medium short which is surprising again given its age. Mango, oranges, banana and caramel. While this is definitely a mature whisky, there really isn’t much that separates it from others less than half it’s age. No trace of any grain harshness, which is quite welcome. It’s good, but it just didn’t do much for me. 3.75 Cheers

I received a pour of this extremely well-aged blend a few months back as an extra from my friend @PBMichiganWolverine, from NJ. He recently sent me the last 4-5oz remaining in the bottle. So, I feel like I’m overdue in reviewing this beautiful whisky. This bottle contains whisky from Glenfarclas, Glenlivet and Invergordon- all aged over 44 years of age. Wow wow wow. It’s a deep mahogany in the Glencairn. It’s incredibly oily and forms quick-running legs and big, bubbly water droplets after a thorough spin. The nose started out precariously with a heavy dose of Ludens Cherry Cough drops, but given some time it opened up into a deeper, richer experience with red berries, gingerbread and faint oak. Oddly enough, I got a weird corn flakes cereal note as well. It’s somewhat artificial smelling, yet deeply complex. The palate is heavy sherry, cherry cola and raspberry purée. There’s a tiny bit of light citrus that forms a nice backbone with faint, fresh cut oak cask. I got a serious shortbread cookie feeling throughout the entire sip. Due to the lower ABV and extensive aging I miss out on any kind of heat. The nose and palate tell me there’s significantly more Glenfarclas in here than anything else. The finish is on the shorter side with a big-time sherry sweetness. It doesn’t make the finish feel long but it hangs around until you rinse it away. It’s here where I finally get some much needed oak flavor. It isn’t much, but it’s there. Overall, it’s exactly what I expected from a Glenfarclas-heavy blend with a lot of age on it. When it starts to seem artificial it releases some oak or citrus that really save the day IMO. My only gripe would be that I’d love to experience this at 46% or a little higher. It begs for some heat to round out what could be a perfect whisky. Thanks again, Pranay. Nothing beats trying a whisky that’s almost my age. 4.25-4.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.

This was an interesting find. It’s a blend of Glenlivet, Glenfarclas, and Inverogrodan, all at least 44 years old, aged in bourbon cask with a final 1 year finishing in first fill sherry. Aromas of Indian mango pickle , with a nice palette of cream, gingerbread, and a touch of that Indian mango pickle again. A big bold, but gentle, dram. Nicely engineered.