Glencadam 10 & Glencadam Reserva PX

Glencadam 10

Region: Highlands

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £43.95

Glencadam 10 is matured exclusively in American oak bourbon barrels and is bottled without added colouring or chill filtration. 

Nose

The nose opens with lots of fresh lemon, lemon peel and sugar, tinned peaches, shortbread biscuits, along with some green apple peel appearing as we sit longer with the dram. It's a light, fruity, citrus-forward nose, but there's a good amount going on here. Going back, we're finding custard cream biscuits, icing sugar, a little desiccated coconut and honey nut cheerios. The alcohol is quite well balanced too. 

Palate

The palate opens with lots of that lemon from the nose, alongside vanilla fondant, peach rings, a little tinned pineapple, moving into stewed apples and a handful of brandy snaps towards the latter palate. The mouthfeel is decent, there's a light syrup-like texture here, but the texture falls off a bit quickly for us, and the finish is mostly vanilla with a bit of an ethanol kick. Going back, we're finding light honey and milk bottle sweeties. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more apple up front, fresh crisp apple flesh, sweet filo pastry, melon balls, moving into those tinned peaches and soft shortbread afterwards. There's a bit more of a bitter sort of aroma appearing, but it's still fairly fresh and sweet overall. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate opens with a more richness, we're reminded of chocolate coated apples, buttery pastry, honeycomb, cocoa nibs and a bit of black pepper spice too. The mouthfeel is mostly the same and we're getting more of a cereal note appearing on the finish, along with a bit of oak spice. 

Conclusion

Light, fruity, perfectly pleasant whisky. The spirit shines through well, the bourbon isn't overpowering, but it's had enough time to mature and it's not overly raw or spirituous. Saying that, for someone who wants more complexity and uniqueness in their whisky, it might be a bit boring for you, however it's a good session dram.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

While the standard price for this is £43.95, if you’re patient and wait for a sale, you can often pick it up with a decent discount. 

Glencadam Reserva PX

Region: Highlands

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £42.95

This release was first matured in bourbon barrels before being treated to a finish in Pedro Ximénez casks. Like the ten, this was bottled without added colouring or chill filtration. 

Nose

The nose opens with a mixture of plum and blackberry jam, raisins, light cocoa notes, some macerated raspberries and light hint of lavender too.It's very jammy, fruity, the PX is front and centre here. Going back, we're finding cherry juice, a little rosewater and vanilla fudge. The more you sit with it, the less the PX dominates and some of the orchard fruit led Glencadam spirit starts to appear. 

Palate

The palate opens with more sherry, raisin fudge, blackcurrant cordial, cherry compote, moving into rum and raisin ice cream and chocolate sauce as the palate develops. There's a light spice, white pepper in type, that underlies the dram, but it's pretty well balanced overall. The mouthfeel is reasonable, it's like kirsch in texture, and the finish lingers for a decent length with dark chocolate and a bit of ginger coming through. Going back, we're also finding hazelnut spread, a bit of tobacco and something a little earthy too.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings more of a nutty, meaty aspect to the whisky, with a hint of rancio too. A lot of those berries and fruits we got before have been pushed into the background in favour of walnuts, cured meats and dark chocolate. If you're a fan of the richer sherry aromas then a few drops wouldn't hurt.  

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the burst of fruit up front, we're still finding blackcurrants, cherries, blackberries, alongside milk chocolate and a bit of oak spice. The mouthfeel seems to have taken a bit of a hit though, and the finish seems to fall off a bit quicker, however all those juicy, fruity PX flavours can still be found. 

Conclusion

It does what it says on the tin - it's got sherry and lots of it. It still manages to stay balanced though, the American oak PX casks provide lots of sweetness and body, but they avoid adding too much astringency. It's not revolutionary but it's a solid dram that you can't really fault.

Score: 7/10

Value

Like the 10, if you’re lucky you’ll get this on sale.

• 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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