Glencadam Origin 1825

Well, it's another Saturday night and Game 4 of the World Series is in full swing. Another sample presents itself. This one being supplied by Pranay, and very much looking to sit back and take the game and the whisky all in. The nose is pure Bananas Foster: Vanilla ice cream, brown sugar and cinnamon. Enough said. Sweet and light as you take the first sip. Light brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon spice (Bananas Foster quasi-realized). As the dram opens, other flavors are drawn out: Tea, honey and apples. A slight tingle on the tongue keeps the palate active as it starts to fade. The finish is unlike everything the nose and palate just experienced and spins things right-round. Mixed nuts, oak, and lemoms with a touch of white pepper. Nice and long without any real harsh bitterness. This is a dessert in a glass. Sweet and enjoyable. Not overly complex; a refreshing simplicity. A perfect after dinner scotch cordial. [85/100][Tasted: 10/28/17]

This is an example of things not being what they seem. The nose was nice with pineapple, coconut, vanilla, strawberry, along with light floral notes. The palate on the other hand was just lemon, banana cream and alcohol. A drop of water did not help since for 40%, this tastes really hot. Could barely detect the sherry notes at all. This is like "The One I Love" by R.E.M. Definitely, not a love song. Thanks though Pranay for the chance to experience the distillery. I think an age statement *might* be worth a try.. maybe if we're brave.

I decided to put in a little work towards our sample group this morning by knocking out the Glencadam Origins 1825 single malt. Distiller lists this malt as unavailable in the U.S. market but a quick search found it readily available here for the paltry sum of around $45-50. That’s not a bad price for what you get IMHO. This is a NAS whisky from the Highlands/Speyside region that comes in at the industry minimum of 40% ABV. It’s a very light gold in the tasting glass and slowly forms some watery legs when you give it a hearty spin. The legs turn into droplets as it begins to settle which indicate there’s quite a bit of water blended in to get it down in alcohol percentage. I wonder what the overall flavor profile offers at cask strength? As it is, the nose is extremely sweet and floral. There’s some fresh cut oak in there too, but I really get candied citrus fruits on the nose. It’s like those sugary, candy balls that were wrapped in cellophane that your grandma always kept in a cheap, crystal bowl on the living room coffee table. You know the ones- really sweet with lots of fake citrus twang in them. I personally couldn’t keep my hands off of them and ole Meemaw knew it. I miss that sweet lady. On the tongue I get those sweet, vanilla cremes that’s initially very smooth and cavity-inducing, but it turns a bit harsh by mid sip. That’s evidence of the young whisky used here, I think. There’s still a pretty light mouthfeel overall- even into the finish. Speaking of finish, it isn’t long or really hot at all but it leaves a lingering warmth as it washes away surprisingly smooth. I don’t get any sherry notes anywhere even though this one is advertised as being finished in Oloroso casks. The duration must’ve been short. My first impression of this was that it’s a pretty good clone of the Glenmorangie Milsean whisky that GM charges over $100 a bottle for. Yeah, the overall profile was a bit stronger with that one, but the sweetness was off the charts like it is here. I’d gladly pay less than half the asking price for the Glencadam, but you really have to be in the mood for a candied whisky to really enjoy either one. Sure, there’s a time and a place for this and I’d even admit it could turn into a guilty pleasure of mine if I had a bottle of this sitting around. It beats the hell out of those little candies my gram-gram used to push on me. Thanks to Pranay for supplying this one for our group to enjoy. I know on his review he said it was a dud, but I don’t agree. It’s a light and sweet, warm weather dram for sure that will rattle your fillings but hey, it’s got alcohol in it and gets you where you need to be. 3 stars, with a extra half star for making Milsean its bitch. Cheers.

Stop number 32 on the SDT is Glencadam. This Highland distillery was established in 1825 (hence the name Origins 1825), one year after it became legal to distill spirits in the Highlands of Scotland. This NAS single malt was matured in ex bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry butts. Bottled at 40% ABV and most likely is chill filtered. It does appear to be a natural golden color, but it could also just be a good job of blending in that caramel colorant. Either way it's not stated anywhere. Fun fact: the line arms on the pot stills at Glencadam are pitched at an upward angle of 15 degrees, unlike the vast majority of stills that are at a downward angle. This forces more reflux in the stills and produces are lighter and more delicate spirit. The nose arrives with bright and warm citrus/orchard and tropical fruits. Oranges, apricots, nectarines, pears and lemon peel. A little mango and white grape juice in there as well. Lots of vanilla, some honey and a touch of salt. The style is very similar to Oban. Brief hints of new leather and cardboard. The sherry finishing becomes apparent with dates and raisins and a little brown sugar. Very light oak and then more vanilla and orchard fruits. I detected some licorice root in the background that added another layer of complexity. The palate pretty much mimics the nose. Citrus/orchard fruits, vanilla cream and a little toffee. Very mild peppery oak. Again, similar to Oban but without the salty seashore notes. No real pronounced sherry notes here. Light to medium bodied, a little oily and dry. The finish is short. Dry with some sweet fruits and a little spice. I think this is an example of a NAS done well. Well, but not exceptional. I think the sherry finishing really did more to mellow out the bourbon influence than it did to add much in the way of complexity, unfortunately. I do think this would have really benefited from an additional 3% ABV. This would be best enjoyed in late spring/early summer. A better finish would have really helped, but it's still a great value for money at $45. Thanks to Pranay for the sample. 3.75 Cheers

This was my 2nd contribution for our round 3 in our little Scottish distillery trading team. I'm gonna keep this brief...I sampled this sorry piece of liquid after a sample of the Glenfiddich Age of Discovery 19 yr old, which probably wasn't fair to,this. My mother always told me that if I had nothing nice to say, I should simply not say anything. So...end of my review on this one. Lee/Paul/ Scott/Ryan---sorry this is a dud.