Glencadam 15yo, 2004-2019, Old Particular
ABV: 48.4%
Region: Highlands
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: Douglas Laing
Cask type: Refill Barrel (# DL13538, 247 btl.)

 

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: On the nose much vanilla with notes of brioche, bread and butter. Fruity with tropical fruits, banana, some pineapple and apricots. Towards the end floral notes with a touch of jasmine and a hint of oak spice in the back.
Palate: Sweet start on the palate with honey, pear and banana. Warming and increasingly spicy with pepper, some oak and a pinch of nutmeg. Vanilla cookies towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is long lasting, underlined by a malty note, some cinnamon, a touch of bitter orange peel and some dry oak at the end.
With water: After adding a few drops of water more fruit on the nose with banana, pineapple and peach. All in all a bit more lively with clearly perceptible oak spice. On the palate spicy, tangy with pepper, aniseed and some oak. Then a creamy honey sweetness with fruit underneath, followed by oak. The finish is again long, creamy and spicy with cinnamon and dry oak.
Comments: A delicious, fruity sweet Glencadam with gentle oak cask influence. Brioche pastry, fine spices, tropical fruits and creamy honey combine to create an impressive and long-lasting taste experience. A palate flatterer with a spicy undertone.

 

I thank Douglas Laing  for the photograph!

Glencadam 5yo, 2011-2017, C&S Dram Collection
ABV: 65.9%
Region: Highlands
Price per bottle: °
Bottling: C&S Dram
Cask type: Bourbon Barrel (#800126, 210 btl.)

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Alcohol at first (surprise, surprise). However, not unpleasant and even not pungent at all. Behind that ripe yellow fruits arrive - apples and pears in particular, followed by pink grapefruit and slightly bitter orange peel. All in all lovely fruity and mouth-watering with a touch of fresh grass in the back.
Palate: As expected, a strong and powerful start on the palate due to the high alcohol content. However, the delicate fruitiness shines through right from the beginning with juicy pears, apricots, cherries and red currant. This is accompanied by a pleasant warmth. Notes of honey and vanilla nicely linger with slightly bitter flavours of pink grapefruit and orange peel in the back. Very tasty.
Finish: The finish is medium long, warm and creamy with a spicy edge of pepper and oak on the tail.
With water: Very fruity and refreshing on the nose with lychee, strawberries, passion fruit, apricots and pink grapefruit by adding a splash of water. The alcohol is tamed significantly with a few more grassy flavours shining through. Also very fruity start on the palate with lychee and apricots, immediately followed by an intense spiciness of black pepper and crisp oak. Creamy notes of acacia honey, toffee and vanilla towards the finish. The finish is medium long, slightly warm and creamy with acacia honey and a hint of pepper. Tender dry notes of oak on the tail.
Comments: This is a surprisingly fruity Highland single malt with mature notes of yellow fruits, nicely balanced with pepper and oak spice. Besides being powerful due to almost 66% of alcohol, it displays an excellent drinkability benefiting from a supplementary splash of water. A delicate, enjoyable all-day dram. Young, bold and gloriously fruity!

I thank Caminneci - Wine & Spirit Partner for the sample and the photograph!