Honourable amends: A small trio of young Glencadam


March 14, 2025

Honourable amends:
A small trio of young Glencadam

We admit, we were a bit harsh with some recent wine-enhanced Glencadam NAS releases, so today we’ll try to make amends—especially since we know that Glencadam can be absolutely excellent. Let’s see what we have on the table…

Glencadam Distillery (Glencadam)

Glencadam ‘Origin 1825’ (40%, OB, The Rather Elegant, +/-2017)

This little NAS has matured (presumably for a very short time) in first-fill bourbon casks before being finished in second-fill sherry casks. Never tried this one before. Colour: gold. Nose: I quite like it, it’s full of sweets, Fanta, pear juice, and liqueurs of pineapple and banana. A few light touches of nail polish remover. Mouth: pear cake and over-brewed tea, then white pepper and a handful of green walnuts. Finish: short, rather oaky, with apples, ale, and toasted malt. A slightly bitter aftertaste. Comments: not sure this is the most ‘rather elegant’ of Glencadams, but I find it quite pleasant and well within the realm of other entry-level offerings from Speyside.
SGP:551 - 80 points.

Glencadam 9 yo ‘A Dream of Scotland’ (52.6%, Brühler Whiskyhaus, bourbon, cask #287, 2020)

Here we are a little south of Cologne, Germany. Very amusing label—let’s see if this young Glencadam is as stratospheric as it suggests. Colour: gold. Nose: vanilla, varnish, and apple tart, then tinned mirabelles and marzipan. At this stage, I can’t detect the slightest flaw, it’s pinpoint precise. With water: hints of papier-mâché, otherwise it stays on yellow fruits and vanilla cake. A little butter croissant. Mouth (neat): lovely nervous power, with more apple, then grass and fresh barley. Notes of butterscotch, Werther’s Originals, a touch of praline, with rather chatty ethanol—but that doesn’t bother us in the slightest. With water: apples, pears, and a little caramel and black tea. Finish: medium length, pleasant, nicely malty. Comments: perhaps not the most extroverted personality, but we really like this little dream, which has no real flaws.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Glencadam 10 yo 2012/2022 (59.8%, OB, bourbon barrel, cask #3686, 256 bottles)

We haven’t tasted many official vintage Glencadams. Colour: straw. Nose: very close to barley, crème brûlée, overripe apple, and quince tarte Tatin. No need to say, this is really lovely. With water: a bit of fresh plaster, plus Parisian baguette (no, no relation!) and still those stewed quinces. Mouth (neat): creamy, typically on vanilla and banana, unmistakably ‘fresh bourbon’, with a development towards mango ice cream. Now that’s delightful. With water: perfect. Admittedly simple, but I imagine that was part of the brief. Finish: rather long, on peppered overripe apples. A touch drying in the aftertaste. Comments: a classic composition, yet rather perfectly executed. We’ll try to hunt down some older official vintages in the coming months.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

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