Glencadam 21 Year

Nose: Initially the nose is generic tropical fruits and honey, however this is misleading and with time it transmutes into a much more complex and complete experience. First an aroma becomes apparent of pineapple chunks sautéed in orange juice, lemongrass and bouquet garni. Then a more grassy and hay-like note arises and a flinty, mineral-laden zephyr gusts on the horizon. An exquisitely refreshing nose. Palate: Just as singular as the nose, the palate opens with a spicy-sweet and briskly oaked presence which in turn gives way to wavelets of sweet malt that rise above a vegetal foundation. The development brings forth semi-sweet orange concentrate, fenugreek, allspice, licorice and a little ginger. The texture is neutral at first, turning slightly oily in the finish. Finish: Medium/long. Malty, earthy, herbal and fruity. The aftertaste is suddenly milk chocolate! When first poured this whisky is a little difficult and unfriendly. It needs to rest for at least 15 minutes or more before it begins to open but once that starts to happen the profile becomes much easier and more inviting. At its heart there is a vegetal, earthy and herbal quality but this is balanced by the lightest touch of sweet fruit, floral fragrance and malt. Not that these notes are obvious - they act only as counterpoints to the main theme. It's a malt that unfolds in layers and continues to develop over time as the components interact. The addition of water initially kills the nose and palate but give it a few minutes and the whisky revives beautifully. The reward is greater complexity and more cohesion. It's excellent taken either neat or watered and I'd suggest pouring two drams and adding a few drops of water to one of them - then you can enjoy a delightful evening of comparative tasting. This is a complex and refined whisky that deserves to be tasted at leisure and in sympathetic surroundings. It is presented at only 46% but has the profile and character of a cask strength expression. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

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.

This is going to be a series from this distillery but I have a feeling I'll be adding most of the bottles. Citrus, vanilla, light salts, some light waxy elements and some floral notes. Pretty basic on the nose for me. The taste is a bit more of the same, but there's a lot more here. Creamy vanilla, citrus, floral, and toasted oak barrels. Little bit of spice from the oak and a nice medium lingering finish . Overall is a really nicely made bottle, good mouth feel, good body, rich flavors, and it really is that classic quality scotch. Solid 3.0 on this one. I think everyone will be really impressed for about 100 pounds. Edit - going back the lack of character here just keeps coming up each time i go back. It's just too classic and basic. 2.5 instead of the 3.0. Sorry for those who gives this 90+

I don't think i have rated a 21yo dram this low before. Maybe it got me in a wrong mood (actually i was in "lets drink whisky mood" so that's not it), but this one sure lacks of excitement. For a 46%abv dram, this was very light and dim. On the nose, your typical speysider (did i tell you this one is from highland?): Apple juice, pear juice, very dim, Cinnamon. On the palate is ok i guess. It is not. Its a 21yo dram... it should be better. Cinnamon spice, Apple juice and Ginger. More of the same. Finish is short with ginger spice. Overall, i give this dram a very scary 61 over 100.

To be a 21 year old he seems very young. Slightly "artificial" flavor, very fruity, not very soft on the palate. Metallic and short finish. It didn't thrill me. Sample tasting. __________________________________________________________________________ Per essere un 21 anni sembra giovanissimo. Sapore leggermente “artificiale”, molto fruttato, poco morbido al palato. Finale metallico e breve. Non mi ha entusiasmato. Assaggio da sample.

The 18 year really was a below average drop. The 21....a mild improvement. The usual culprits for a refill bourban cask....mild honey, vanilla, bit of pepper and some citrus a buttery mouth feel and balanced with the oak almost feels like a chardonnay type whiskey in a way. Alcohol is much better balanced than the 18. Good but not great. It's around $180USD here in NZ which is definately not worth it. 3.4 I'll give it.