Wines and Glencadams


May 20, 2024

Wines and Glencadams

Times are changing, with more and more distilleries now structuring their ranges around the world of wine, using more or less subtle finishings. Personally, I find it uninteresting from a both organoleptic and philosophical standpoint, but on the other hand, it can be fun and amusing. And we can clearly see that there are more and more enthusiasts of these styles... Perhaps they are right! It also seems that we are moving from renowned appellations (for example, Pomerol) to broad regions (Bordeaux) or even grape varietals (for example, Merlot), the casks being probably much cheaper. Oh, and what was that old saying about 'grapes and grains' again? Now, remember there were some excellent recent Glencadams, such as the 25 yo 'Remarkable' or the 19 oloroso, or the 15 oloroso, or just the plain 15 that's wonderful.

We had to resort to artificial intelligence because
such a wine doesn't exist in real life.
Our sincerest apologies.
(The Management)

Glencadam 'Reservé de Bordeaux Merlot Wine Cask Finish' (46%, OB, +/-2023)

I really don't want to split hairs again but I'm afraid the word 'Reservé' does not exist in French. It's either 'réserve' or 'réservé'. Colour: white wine. Quite pale for a Merlot. Nose: strawberry, ripe damson, prunes, flavoured beer, cherry, then cakes, muffins, scones... It's decent, it's 'transgenre', why not! Mouth: premix, fruit juice and young malt whisky. Young Pineau des Charentes. Finish: medium, fruity. Dried figs, strawberries, walnut cake. Comments: it's alright. One would never drink this regularly, but for a tasting, it's not too terrible, even though we'd prefer a good blend.
SGP:651 - 74 points.

It might be a secret plan of the whisky industry, making us appreciate blends in comparison with these NAS malts flavoured with little wines. It's very clever, it might just work!

Glencadam 'Reservé de Burgundy Pinot Noir Wine Cask Finish' (46%, OB, +/-2023)

I suppose they mean either 'Réserve de Bourgogne' or 'Burgundy Reserve'. Even ChatGPT wouldn't come up with 'Reservé de Burgundy'. This sounds like the name of a monk in 'The Name of the Rose' by Umberto Eco. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it's not too bad, better than the Merlot, less on the jammy side and more on leaves, buds, and even the proverbial cherry... But don't expect Chambertin. Mouth: the return of stewed red fruits and cherry stalks as herbal tea. Some Belgian kriek. Finish: medium, fruity, rather balanced. A hint of blackcurrant bud. Comments: it's not bad. The main point, as with the Merlot, is that there's no real clash, thanks to the relative neutrality of the malt used.
SGP:651 - 76 points.

Glencadam 'Reserva PX Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Finish' (46%, OB, +/-2023)

They got it aaaall right this time! And well done for accentuating the first 'E' in Ximénez, generally everyone forgets it (especially us at WF). Colour: amber. Nose: this is much more classic, feeling far less about flavouring, and that's undoubtedly because we're already very accustomed to PX in our whiskies. After all, fortified wines are quite different from table wines (no kidding, S.?). Walnut wine, raisins, dried figs, blackcurrant liqueur, guignolet… It seems sweet but also quite pleasant. The palate will reveal the truth… Mouth: very sweet, very fruity, indeed very sugary, one wonders how much PX was left in the cask after the obligatory (yeah right) rinsing. Lots of white chocolate, then sweets and honey. Finish: quite long but it's the PX that does the job. Cherry liqueur in the aftertaste. One might wonder if they bought stocks of cherry liqueur from Eastern Europe? Comments: it feels a bit like PX re-fortified with malt whisky, but I find it quite enjoyable. To be served over two scoops of vanilla ice cream?
SGP:741 - 80 points.

Perhaps an indie – and kings of finishing too.

Glencadam 10 yo 2012/2023 (46%, Murray McDavid, Benchmark, Koval Bourbon Cask finish, 919 bottles)

Looks like quite a few ex-Koval casks have been brokered in Scotland in recent years. Colour: white wine. Nose: pleasant, quite fresh and fruity, with honey, fresh brioche, cereals, hints of pear cake, tarte tatin, very ripe apples, and equally ripe apricots... All these elements blend well together, with a firm and straight structure leaning towards green pepper and cinnamon. That must be the Koval influence. Mouth: it's really good, quite easy-going, not complicated, just a tad sweet, but with lovely notes of tarte tatin again, maple syrup, custard, some sultanas, nougat, and just a hint of 'grain whisky and white pepper', likely from the bourbon. Finish: nice length, sweetness, biscuits, honey, ripe pears, and a little icewine touch at the very end, with more white pepper too. Indeed, wine seems to be with us today. Comments: really nice, easy, enjoyable... and superior.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

Check the index of all Glencadam we've tasted so far