Glencadam 10 Year

Review #51 - Whisk(e)y #35 Bought at 50ml, great presentation with its little cylindrical box, paid 5 euros. Chill-filtered - No Artificial Colour - No ABV - 46% Aspect - very pale - pale straw. Viscous, long legs. Nose - citrus, fresh, some alcohol, oily, orchard fruit (red apples, pear), malt and sweetness after it gets some air. Palate - light, viscous, oily front end, very sharp spicy (young), same fresh orchard fruit as on the nose. Spice and burn diminish fast, effervescence remains. Finish - medium, breadiness, herbacious, cellery. A bit harsh for my taste, but the oiliness is very much appreciated, same as the natural colour. It gets significantly better with some time, even with these 50ml bottles. A couple of water droplets bring forth honey and vanilla on the nose, and smoothen the sharpness on the palate. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

Did a tasting with the '10', '15' and '21'. The '10' is obviously still rough around the edges, but has a pleasant fruity flavourprofile that makes up for it. It has a nice citruszing to it. Very enjoyable. Good value for money. The '15' is spicier and leans much heavier into chocolate and caramelflavours 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 flavours. It tries to find balance in between the flavourprofile of the '10' and '15'. Definitely nice and I prefer it to the '15', but at the higher pricetag and compared to other brands I'm not really convinced to add it to my cabinet. I really enjoy the '10'. It's the only one of the three that I want to add to my cabinet, based on enjoyment and pricetag.

Let me start off by saying that this whisky is extremely underrated and underappreciated. The review posted here is...bullocks! The only thing that I can think of, is that this place was mothballed for a while. Maybe it's different stuff? Age:10 Nose:apple, vanilla, banana Palate:fairly viscous at 46%. You're taken on this amazing flavor journey that starts off as bright and citrusy grapefruit, and then transforms into apple vanilla cake, and then finishes with unripened banana. Finish:That fruitiness is what stays with you. So incredibly pleasant. I can thank a local lq manager for suggesting this. It shows you that a great whisky doesn't have to be something that everyone is chasing down. This is a diamond in the rough. If you love Irish whiskey, you will also love this. In fact, you might freak out for this.

Glencadam is probably not on everyone's radar, as most of its production goes into the Ballantine's blends. On the nose, fresh citrus, honeydew melon and hints of glue take turns with thyme, vanilla and canned pineapple. Quite crisp and vivid, the taste unfolds with lemon juice, spearmint and mild spices. Sweet and sour notes, green apples and honey emphasize the firm mouthfeel. The aftertaste lingers with ginger, unripe banana and a touch of dry oak. At 10 years of age, this spirit-driven and honest malt does not have to rely on silly wood finishes. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Nose: Herbal, green and floral. Red berries, sandalwood, vanilla, icing sugar, soft stone fruit. Palate: Tart, green fruit, green/grassy, sweet vanilla. The most predominant flavour is the spice - black pepper and chilli. Finish: Long finish. Spices - pepper and green chillies. Malty and spirited, but quite gentle with it on the finish. Easy to drink and very moreish. This is a very spicy dram, almost chai tea scented/flavoured when added to the gentle vanilla. I could drink a lot of this!

I’m updating my review score to 4.75 because I was able to pick up something more nuanced the second time. There is a specific scent of angel cake, which is present both on the nose and in the taste. It’s really unique and quite lovely. Adding water helps with the opening up of this one quite a bit, the taste is more dementia also with a lovely umami sweet note and it is also very fragrant on the nose. It’s too bad that the 15yr won’t be available... I may go back and get another 10yr before it runs out.