Loch Lomond 29yo Cadenheads Authentic Collection July 2026 & Cadenhead’s Glen Spey 16yo 2009 Authentic Collection July 2026

Loch Lomond 29yo Cadenheads Authentic Collection July 2026

Region: Highlands

ABV: 42.1%

Price: £200.00

Distilled at Loch Lomond in 1997 and bottled by Cadenhead’s in July 2026 after 29 years of maturation, this single malt was transferred into an Oloroso sherry cask in 2025 for its final period of maturation. Outturn of 156 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with some dried leaves, almost cigar-like, honey roasted pecans, some raspberry puree, and sweet barley malt. There's some grape must, red grapes mostly, a little crushed mint, mild lemon and some crisp green apple flesh. As time goes on and more air gets into the glass, a more savoury and meaty sherry profile begins to emerge, roasted and lightly salted. The alcohol is expectedly soft, gentle, but still detectable. 

Palate

The palate opens with a little muddiness, slightly earthy, but quickly moves into a more vibrant fruitiness, lots of strawberries and raspberries. The mouthfeel is a tad thin, the oiliness dissipates quite quickly, but there's a lot of leftover flavour that lingers through the finish - more citrus, an artificial fizzy sherbet sensation, and a little white pepper. There's also some orange peel and hazelnut that appears on subsequent sips. We're also getting some ground ginger, angostura bitters and brown sugar sweetness - there's a definite old fashioned cocktail profile emerging.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings more of a bready, malty profile, malt loaf, raisins and sultanas, digestive biscuits, brandy snaps and a little rosewater. It's changed quite a lot actually, definitely a drier profile, although perhaps some of that has come with time and air.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate suffers from the same textural challenges, even more so with water, but that brightness, fruitiness from the sherry cask is still there. It's a tad drier on the finish, more dried fruits and forest floor. 

Conclusion

29 year old whisky carries some expectations, and this meets some of them for us. It's not overly sherried, there's an old whisky sensation that feels lifted by the sherry rather than smothered. It's got a few shortcomings - the texture mostly for us, but it has a brightness to it and is very pleasant to drink.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

We’re not going to say no to 29yo malt for £200.

Cadenhead’s Glen Spey 16yo 2009 Authentic Collection July 2026

Region: Speyside

ABV: 55.9%

Price: £75.00

Distilled at Glasgow Distillery in 2015, this Lowland single malt was re-racked into a Manzanilla sherry hogshead in 2022 and bottled by Cadenhead’s in July 2026 after 10 years of maturation. Outturn of 252 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with salted caramel, barley malt, milk chocolate, toffee crisp bars and honey roasted peanuts. It's quite a lively nose, it really jumps out of the glass, but with that comes fairly peppery and warm alcohol. There's also some dried fruits, raisins and sultanas mostly, mixed in with green, slightly grassy, slightly herbal aroma. 

Palate

The palate opens with quite a drying, nutty note, dark chocolate coated macadamia nuts, ground ginger, sour candy, twigs, and fairly dry and slightly astringent oak towards the latter palate and finish. There's quite a lot of upfront alcohol kick, slightly industrial. Going back, there's more of an orange peel, toasted vanilla, and some boozy cherries. The finish does stick around a fair bit, and comes with more of a creme brulee/brown sugar sweetness.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels more integrated, slightly better balanced, some of those nuttier, drier aromas are now countered with sweeter dried fruits, with a little backbone of vanilla wafers and icing sugar.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses some of the alcohol kick, and gains a grassy, green flavour, fresh mint, some caster sugar, honey, apple slices and lemon. There's still a bit of an industrial note lingering in the background, but overall it's benefitted from a splash of water.

Conclusion

A lively nose and palate, but one that feels a little unbalanced to us. It's a bit too warm, the sherry is quite drying and mixed with a more industrial style spirit isn't working too well for us. There's still some redeeming qualities, it's vibrant in places, with nice citrus and oak flavours lingering into the finish.

Score: 6/10

Value

A 16-year-old malt matured in sherry for £75 is a good price in our books.

• 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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