Glencadam 15

The Maker

The Highlands distillery of Glencadam is almost a microcosm of the wider rises and falls of the Scotch whisky industry. Founded in 1825, in the early years of legislated distillation, Glencadam has come and gone through the various whisky booms and busts of the last two centuries. It’s had multiple owners and even spent two World Wars as army barracks. Yet through occasional closures and the frequent tightening of belts when necessary, the brand is still here and now appears stronger than ever.

For much of its life the distillery has been contributing towards a number of historic blends such as Gilmour Thompson & Co’s ‘Royale Blend’ in the late 1800s, and Ballantine’s blend in the mid to late 1900s. This petered out at the turn of the millennium and the distillery shut its doors in 2000.

But, given the nature of the sector, it turned out to a short-lived closure of just three years. After which the ownership transferred to the incumbent Angus Dundee Distillers - who also own Tomintoul distillery. Again, initial production went back into blended whisky, but it was the 2008 re-launch of the Glencadam line which saw the distillery transform into its current guise, with the first release of its single malt range.

In subsequent years new lines have been added and production increased to about 1.5 million l/y. In doing so Glencadam has quickly established itself as the producer of well-respected age-statement whiskies which are perhaps reminiscent of an earlier time. Glencadam attribute much of this character to the shape of its stills. They have been using the same two traditional pot stills since 1825 and they have a unique lye arm design (where spirt flows out of the top of the still) with an upwards angle of 15 degrees – they tend to be horizontal or downward in shape elsewhere.

I have to confess to being rather sceptical of this kind of thing. So many distilleries make a big deal out of the angle or length of this bit of piping and how it makes a huge difference to the final product. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. But I suspect it's always going to be just one of a whole number of factors which influence the final flavour/texture whisky.

The Expression

Back in the summer I reviewed the entry level Glencadam 10 which I described as a great introductory whisky that was "subtle enough not to blow people’s minds, but also complex enough to encourage discussion." While not my natural preference (as i've always turned to Islay first) I really enjoyed the 10, so before it was even finished, I had this bottle of the 15-year-old edition on its way to me.

As far as I can discern the only difference in the production process between the 10 and the 15 is simply that maturation time, with both spending their time in the traditional ex-bourbon casks. As you'd expect from this that means the 15 is a little bit more of everything. But despite that it's still bottled at 46%, and isn't coloured or chill-filtered.

The Neck Pour

The natural thing to do with this bottle is to begin it alongside the last of the 10. Side-by-side there is a notable difference and, as suggested above, the 15 is just that little more of everything. It's just that little bit darker and more golden. It's just that little more honey and vanilla. It's just that little more floral, and just that little bit grassier.

At the risk of entering Spinal Tap territory such a comparison begs the questions of whether a little bit more of everything means it's just a little bit better in every area? To my mind the answer is not necessarily. While I like each individual aspect of additionality, I think that when taken side-by-side, I actually prefer the totality of the 10. To me it's just that little bit more balanced and enjoyable, while the stronger flavours of the 15 switch that harmonious nature for a series of smaller conflicts.

Of course, a strong argument could be made that those conflicts are what create a greater interest for the drinker, and would reward a greater appreciation over time. Perhaps time will tell on that front, however, at this initial point these small conflicts move bottle out of that introductory category and place it into direct competition with other bottles against which I don't think it competes that well for the price point (around £55 compared to the ten's £35). Put simply I'd like a bit more than this for the additional cash, and can easily get that elsewhere.

The Body

As we head in to autumn I'm conscious that the falling temperatures are quickly pushing us out of the climate window where I find these lighter Highland whiskies to be at their peak. As the nights draw in I'm far more likely to get more out of the heavier, peated malts of the islands. Nonetheless, as I work my way through this bottle throughout September and October that additional strength of flavour referred to above is proving to be to this bottles advantage.

While I'm not finding a lot of new things in this bottle, and it still isn't living up to those memories of the 10 at the peak of summer, there is still a lot to like in a dram of the 15. There's a certain spice (nutmeg if I had to place it) and nuttiness (macadamia) which is building over time which is quickly becoming the nicest part of this.

Final Thoughts

As November comes to a close and with it the last of this bottle, I do find myself sticking to my guns. Certainly, I'm getting a lot more spiciness (almost a chili-flake like tickle) from the lower half of the bottle but I'm not finding that extra level of enjoyment to justify the additional cost and those additional years of maturation.

But that doesn't change the fact that while this may miss the heights of the 10, this is this still a good bottle of whisky, it just isn't one i'll be rushing out to replace. My natural temptation is to still go further and see what the 18 is like, but I think it would probably be wiser to just seek out a dram than foot the bill for a whole bottle. In the meantime I had better order another 10-year-old.