Cadenheads Springbank 29yo Authentic Collection August 2025 & Cadenheads Enigma 22yo SPY.1.D Authentic Collection August 2025

Cadenheads Springbank 29yo Authentic Collection August 2025

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 54.9%

Price: £750.00

Distilled in 1996 and left to slumber for twenty nine years in a single Oloroso sherry butt, this release was bottled for Cadenhead’s August 2025 Authentic Collection. 504 bottles were made available.

Nose

The nose opens with turkish delight, freshly brewed coffee, salted almond paste, marshmallow fluff, freshly turned earth, date syrup and candied ginger. There's a lot of depth to the nose, it's bold, but you're still able to detect a subtle funkiness, something a bit dirty, in the background. Going back, we're finding boozy maraschino cherries, a little playdough, tree sap, a little dill leaf and a handful of raisins. The oloroso here is drier than typical modern day sherry casks, it's very much dried fruits, nuts and earthy aromas rather than a sweet, fresh and fruity profile. There's a light smoke in the background reminiscent of cigars, softened by age, more herbal and earthy than peaty for us.  

Palate

The palate opens with cranberry juice, menthol, dates, black pepper, ginger puree and cocoa nibs. Behind this sits some mushy apple, tobacco and pandan leaf as the palate develops, and it leaves a real dried cherry flavour lingering on the good length finish... in fact quite a lengthy finish, chewy cherry sweets. The mouthfeel has some texture but it's a little thinner than we'd expect for such a syrup-y tasting dram, and there's a bit more peppery spice coming through than we'd usually get from a dram of this age. The smoke has been enveloped into the sherry, giving a charred/burnt sort of sensation to the dram, like burnt paper, but the smoke is also quite herbal and sweet giving quite a nice balance overall. Our last sip brings out more sour plums, jammy red fruit and a kick of dirt in the background.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose gives more of a cocoa/chocolate aroma up front, roasted nuts, cherry jam, and some of the earthier, funkier aromas have faded into the background. It feels softer, there's still a light smoke in the background but it's a bit less characterful now - even though the reduction has subdued some of the pepperiness.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate follows in the path of the reduced nose, with a bit of a cocoa powder flavour up front, moving quickly into basketfuls of cherries, menthol, forest floor and a little artificial strawberry. The finish still lingers on for a good length, lots of ashy, earthy smoke, but sweeter than before. Overall water has tamed some of the richer, punchier flavours.

Conclusion

Old sherried Springbank, it's hard not to go into this with some preconceived notions. This dram has all the hallmarks of Springbank with a thick layer of old school oloroso on top.. it's not a sherry bomb in the modern sense of the word - there's tons of dried fruit/nutty character here but it allows the spirit to shine through too. Our main gripes come with the mouthfeel and heat, but they don't detract from the overall enjoyment of the dram too much for us.

Score: 8/10

Value

Yes, £750 is a lot of money, but comparable bottles will set you back between £900 and £1,000.

Cadenheads Enigma 22yo SPY.1.D Authentic Collection August 2025

Region: Speyside

ABV: 47.9%

Price: £155.00

Distilled in 2003, this undisclosed Speyside single malt spent 16 years in a refill-bourbon hogshead, followed by three years in a fresh Pedro Ximénez cask and another three years in a first-fill bourbon barrel. Bottled by Cadenhead’s in August 2025 after 22 years’ maturation, its outturn has not been disclosed.

Nose

The nose opens with blackcurrant cordial, clove, molasses, spearmint, macerated raisins and green vegetation. The alcohol is nicely integrated, there's no noticeable spice coming off the nose, but what we're getting is primarily rich, syrupy PX and a bit of charred wood, dark brown sugars and a few mint leaves too. It's not the most complex nose, but it's enjoyable.

Palate

The palate opens with cola cubes, cinnamon sugar, wet cardboard, over-brewed tea with too much sugar, toffee pops, a little digestive biscuit, blackcurrant chewits and some vanilla sweetness appearing as the dram moves into the latter palate. The mouthfeel is a tad thin, especially given the PX influence here - it feels a little disjointed. The finish does last for a good length of time, mostly toffee and caramel, a few brandy snaps and runny honey - it's like full on PX upfront then bourbon-focused flavours as the palate develops. Time and air brings a bit of a sour plum note out too.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has sweeter oak coming through, there's still lots of raisin, molasses, and blackcurrant aromas, but that bourbon maturation is beginning to make more of an appearance. It's a little sweeter, and overall it feels like there's a better balance between the cask maturations used here. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate doesn't change too much, although there's more of a menthol, dark chocolate, slight cocoa bitterness appearing at the beginning of the palate - before it moves back into balsamic vinegar, toffee and sponge cake and almond marzipan.

Conclusion

We don't usually mention colour in our reviews, but we'll admit that we could mistake this with Coca Cola - it's super dark and viscous. Tons of PX influence, perhaps not fully integrated, however we can understand this from the bourbon->PX->bourbon maturation. It's an enjoyable dram, one for those who like their whisky rich and very sherry forward. 

Score: 6.5/10

Value

£155 for an undisclosed Speyside 22yo seems a little expensive to us.

• 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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