Cadenheads Macduff 13yo Original Collection February 2025 & Cadenheads GlenAllachie 10yo Original Collection February 2025

Cadenheads Macduff 13yo Original Collection February 2025

Region: Highlands

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £55.00

There’s limited information available on this 13-year-old release, other than the fact that it was matured in bourbon casks. There’s also no mention of how many bottles were produced. 

Nose

The nose opens with flat appletizer, melon balls, synthetic sweetness, a little stale sponge cake, and a little sweetened vanilla cream cheese frosting. Light, fruity, with a bit of malt in the background, it's not the most expressive nose but it's quite pleasant. Going back, we're also finding cooking chocolate, peach ring sweeties and green apple lollipops.  

Palate

The palate opens with a fair bit of citrus, zingy lemon.. more lemon scented cleaning wipes, alongside faint coffee notes reminiscent of coffee revels. There's a fair amount of that coffee and chocolate flavour following through to the finish which lasts a good while. We're also finding a little rubberiness, ethanol, and something a bit chemically too. The mouthfeel is a little thin, and as we go back for another sip, we're getting more of an astringent flavour mixed with a lime and apple cordial.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has all of the same fruits coming through, it's got a nice sweetness, and there's a bit more citrus coming through for us now too. It actually feels more interesting, more vibrant, the water has helped to open it up a little.  

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses a bit of the mouthfeel which is a pity, it's quite watery, and those industrial, chemical notes are still present, but there's also some more creamy vanilla alongside the light coffee and chocolate flavours.There's also more fruitiness here too with apple and pears. Overall, water does improve the dram. 

Conclusion

It's got a lovely nose but it really doesn't gel with us on the palate. There's a chemical, ethanol, rubberiness which we don't really enjoy, however those coffee and chocolate notes do give the dram some complexity.

Score: 6/10

Value

It’s a good price, but as always, we’d prefer to pay a little extra for the cask strength version. 

Cadenheads GlenAllachie 10yo Original Collection February 2025 

Region: Highlands

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £55.00 

There’s little information available about today’s other review, aside from the fact that it was also matured in bourbon casks. Again, there’s no mention of how many bottles were released. 

Nose

The nose opens with a real savouriness, it's a little beefy, bisto gravy granules, green herbs, it's also got a sort of Sauvignon Blanc type of aroma. Going back, we're finding salted caramel, crystalised ginger, fresh cut grass and non-alcoholic grape juice. There's a touch of ethanol in the background but it feels relatively well balanced. With air, there's some wholewheat bread that makes itself known.

Palate

The palate has a dry, savoury, biscuitiness up front, we're finding wheat crackers, grapefruit juice, melon and a little lime juice. There's some vanilla cream that appears on the second sip, along with a light alcohol warmth that tingles the tongue. The mouthfeel is alright, there's a bit of syrupiness here, and we're finding more fresh apple and marzipan as the dram opens up. The finish has a medium length with a light nuttiness and some digestive biscuits.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a slightly reduced beefiness, but there's definitely some salinity and savouriness still lingering. Behind this sits warm roasted nuts and ginger, perhaps some fruit but it's far in the background. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has more citrus appearing, moving into ginger ale and some crushed up chocolate biscuits. The mouthfeel and finish are broadly the same, with some bitter grapefruit peel appearing towards the latter part of the palate. There's still some marzipan here, but overall it's a bit drier than before.  

Conclusion

Unexpectedly savoury on the nose, but there's quite a lot going on here. The palate has more sweet, fruity flavours mixed with a decent amount of cask influence too. The mouthfeel is a bit thin and the finish a bit short, but it's a good dram overall.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

This seems a bit pricey, especially considering that today’s 13-year-old review was also just £55.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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