Cadenhead's Glen Garioch 10yo

The Maker

Cadenhead’s is a name known by most whisky nerds. Founded in 1842 it is the oldest independent bottler in Scotland, and as such might well be the oldest independent whisky bottler in the world. It began life in Aberdeen under a different name and the ownership of George Duncan, as it was not until the 1850s that William Cadenhead (Duncan’s brother-in-law) entered the business. Once Duncan died the name was changed and from there the business grew in success. The company passed through several generations until it fell under the management of Ann Oliver. By all accounts Oliver lacked the required knowledge and experience of the whisky industry and ended up running up a lot of stock and debt, alongside dwindling sales. The solution was to auction the largely unknown and undervalued stock at Christie’s in 1972. This saw the debts cleared and a hefty profit returned.

It seems that Oliver chose this to be a good time to retire and promptly sold Cadenhead’s to J. & A, Mitchell and Co, the now renowned owners of Campbeltown’s Springbank and Glengyle [Kilkerran] distilleries. The Mitchell’s relocated Cadenhead’s to Campbeltown and have maintained its operations and reputation ever since. Now, alongside the Campbeltown shop, they also hold premises on Canongate in Edinburgh, and near Oxford Street in central London. All of which are well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

As with most independent bottlers there is not a whole lot to say that makes them different from one another. They all seek to produce the highest quality spirits from long nurtured distillery relationships that translate into well known and liked product lines that are harder to get hold of the further from Scotland you live. Cadenhead’s is not much different in that regard, but the physical shops and relationship with the ever coveted Springbank stable have perhaps pushed them a little above their rivals in recent years. Certainly they have earnt their reputation as one of the most dependable out there when it comes to quality.

One thing they do which I have found especially useful over the years is releasing a tasting set for each of their outruns. It is a great way to try everything without the jeopardy of spending an average of £80 on a whole bottle. Their relationship with Springbank also means that it is a slightly easier way of getting that stock. Indeed when I once visited the London shop it turned out that they had a fair bit under the counter rather than on display, so it is worth asking if you ever drop by. By the same token I also recommend joining their club. For a one off fee of £75 you get a lifetime membership which, among other things, entitles you to two free tasting sessions a year at their shops. If you find yourself traveling to London occasionally for work as I do, then this more than pays for itself.

The Expression

Glen Garioch was founded in 1797 in Aberdeenshire on the site of an old tannery and brewery. Over the subsequent centuries it has changed hands many times through various families and generations before finding itself part of the Scottish Malt Distillers group in 1937. Just in time for production to be suspended for the Second World War.

The remainder of the twentieth century was a bit of a roller-coaster for the distillery with various closures and mothballing due to rising costs, falling sales, and even a water shortage - leading to the tapping of a secret local spring.

Ownership passed to the Morrison Bowmore Distillery company in the 1990s which ultimately bought control to the Japanese Beam Suntory group that also now owns the likes of Laphroaig, Bowmore, Ardmore, and Auchentoshan. Their investment brought Glen Garioch into its modern form in 1997, before its formal relaunch/rebranding in 2009.

From that point on time seems to have largely stopped for them. Unlike the rest of the Suntory group, Glen Garioch has not fallen victim to the premiumisation game like Laphroaig and Bowmore, nor has it chased the supermarket shelves like Ardmore and Auchentoshan. Instead it seems to be the forgotten child of the group that has been permitted to quietly carry on with a solid and unassuming core range and a max capacity of around a million litres a year. Even their distillery website seems to be a relic of the early 2000s! Nonetheless it retains a small but dedicated fanbase who like its spicy character and the tendency for the spirit to need long cask aging to come to its best.

This expression from Cadenhead's Original Collection was distilled in 2013 and spent a full 10 years and change in an oloroso cask before being bottled in January 2024 at 46%. As you would expect from Cadenhead's it is naturally coloured and has not be subject to chill-filtration. It cost just £50 ($66US) upon its release in the summer of 2024.

The Neck Pour

The first smell is like a large leather sofa in a Victorian explorers club's smoking room. On top of that you get a deep sherry sweetness which utterly dominate my scent receptors. Once they recover there is a strong ethanol burn which is well beyond what is expected from a 46% whisky.

On the palate the texture is thick and oily. There is lots of savoury pork crackling, followed by a hint of schezwan pepper. If anything the first sip is reminiscent of a heavily sherried and unpeated Caol Ila. Then comes the sugar. Lots of muscovado sugar. But also lots of glace cherries on the finish.

It is a strong start which has that hot Glen Garioch signature. I hope there is a lot of development to be had here from the depth of flavour, but I am also a little worried that the 'wet cask' nature of it might make it a one trick pony.

The Body

Over time the sherry has become more dominant on the nose to the point where I think it is fair to call this a full on sherry bomb. This is perhaps unsurprising when the colour is considered. Whether it is a 'wet cask' or just a very active one I am unsure, either way it is clearly having a massive impact on the final product.

This follows onto the palate. The cask is delivering plenty of char, which in turn is providing plenty of spice, aniseed, and even a hint of a bitter smoke on the finish. Obviously there is no actual smoke here, but nonetheless, the strength of the char is invoking it.

In some ways this reminds me of the Aberlour A'Bunadh (I reviewed Batch 70 a few years ago). This is not as complex as that and no where near as strong, but the fieriness of Glen Garioch is making this 46% dram taste closer to 60%.

Final Thoughts

Coming to the end of this bottle it is fair to say that there has been a decent amount of development. But rather than complexity it has been a journey towards greater extremes of sherry spice and sugar. The meatiness has diminished and been replaced by an acridity from the char which is at times a little too extreme for me, almost like burnt plastic.

That can be delt with using some water and the result is something closer to toasted pistachio. It is simply surprising to me that something at 46% needs so much water to manage it. Again it seems that the wet cask combined with the signature 'hotness' are making something that is enjoyable, but lacks refinement. It is often said that Glen Garioch is a spirit that needs plenty of aging, maybe it is simply the case that 10 years is too young for it to reach its peak.