Glencadam 15 year old

I wish there were more opportunities to try Glencadam's single malt. It's neither a highly desired distillery, nor is it frequently bottled by the indies. And rarely have I heard anyone say, "Hey, who wants in on the new Glencadam?"

Though I adored my two bottles of the Brechin distillery's malt, it's been eight years since I reviewed the official 21yo (which I bought right after the post). Over the past two years, I've consumed at least 1/3 of a bottle's worth of samples of the current official 15 year old — spending nearly as much as an actual 700mL bottle of the stuff — trying to sort out the whisky. My palate has almost always picked up some sort of peat, or nearly-peat, notes on Glencadam even though the distillery allegedly uses unpeated malt. The mystery remains unsolved. Here's my last sample of the 15:

Distillery: Glencadam
Owner: Angus Dundee Distillers

Region: Eastern Highlands

Age: minimum 15 years

Maturation: bourbon casks

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltration? No
e150a? No

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Barley, funky honey, almond extract and Cow Tales candy fill the nose's foreground. A heavy industrial (without being peaty) note sits in the middle. Orange zest and orange blossoms sit in the back. More barley and yeast notes arrive with time, as do bits of toasted coconut and sharp cheddar.

I find both peppery smoke and charred chile skin notes in the palate. It's impressively devoid of sweetness, with sharp grapefruit and tart green grapes in the midground, and plenty of grassiness in the background.

It finishes slightly earthy, with tart citrus and the charred chiles.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Still can't crack it. It probably isn't peated, but something is going on with the spirit that reads smoke-like. That contributes towards making the all-bourbon-cask whisky more interesting than other more famous Glens, and it has that great 46%/nc/ncf presentation. Whether you're ordering from in Europe, or buying it here in The States, its price isn't terrible. But I'm not sure I'm going chase down a bottle of my own. Might just have to try it again. 🙂

Availability - many specialty whisky retailers around the world
Pricing - $70-$85 (USA); $60-$70 (Europe) 
Rating - 85

Glenlossie 24 year old 1993 Cadenhead single cask

The Glens continue with Glenlossie, Mannochmore's older sibling, and another one of Diageo's malt-for-blends machines. It's often found in Johnnie Walker and Haig recipes, but very rarely as its own single malt. The spirit has a (theoretically) soft grassy and fruity style, which is a plus for my palate. Today's whisky spent 24 years in a hogshead and has an unoaked Chardonnay hue, so I'm cautiously optimistic here...

pic from whiskybase

Distillery: Glenlossie
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Single Cask

Age: 24 years (1993 - Oct 2018)

Maturation: hogshead
Outturn: 240 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 53.6%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Sure enough, the nose has fruits. Apples, pears, apricots and cantelope, to be more specific. Pilsner and butterscotch. Wet grass after the rain and a hint of ocean brine. Hay, apricots, orange juice and a sprinkle of salt start the palate, followed by cantelope, barley, burlap, honey and late harvest sauvignon blanc. It finishes with a nice simple combination of honey, apricots, melons and salt.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

On the nose, it reads like Glenfiddich's cousin with its pears and grass. Ginger, orange candy and heather arrive later on. Mildly grassy, sweet and tart, the palate holds onto the melons, citrus and pears; and that's exactly how it finishes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This single quality hoggie held onto the spirit notes almost halfway into the third decade of maturation without leaving the whisky raw or hot, resulting in my favorite Glenlossie so far. This could be a great spring or summer whisky, especially thanks to the lovely nose. I preferred it undiluted, but perhaps a little more or less water could bring out an even cleaner style. Hopefully there are more Glenlossie casks like this!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

Glentauchers 8 year old 2010 SMWS 63.58

Tuesday brought my first Glenglassaugh review, Friday now presents my first Glentauchers post, albeit not of a 39 year old whisky. Nor even a 9 year old whisky. But I gotta start somewhere.

Quietly celebrating its 125th birthday this year, Glentauchers distillery passed in and out of James Buchanan & Co's hands until it wound up at DCL-SMD-UD for 74 years. It then went to Allied for 16 years before being added to Pernod Ricard's portfolio. It survived seven years in mothballs during scotch's dark days in the '80s, coming out on the other side as one of the main malts in Ballantine's blended whisky.

Now it's time to chase today's history lesson with some scotch.

Distillery: Glentauchers

Owner: Pernod Ricard

Region: Speyside (Moray)

Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 8 years (22 Sep 2010 - 2019)

Maturation: first-fill bourbon barrel

Cask#: 63.58, "Dental damage"

Outturn: 258 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Juicy Fruit gum, yeast and mint extract arrive first in the nose, followed by oatmeal topped with brown sugar and bananas. Bits of grapefruit and pine linger. The Juicy Fruit morphs into Big League Chew. The malty, sweet palate leans heavily on lemon candy and orange candy, with some yeasty wort in the background. Lots of oranges and a little bit of barley in the very sweet finish.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Limoncello and bitter lemon soda meet malt and confectioner's sugar in the nose. Some herbal bitterness now appears in the palate but sugar rules the day. Plenty of malt can be found from start to finish, along with confectioner's sugar.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

"Dental damage" may be the most accurate cask name SMWS has ever issued. This is one of the sweetest whiskies I've ever tried, yet it remains appealing, like a piece of hard candy when a mouth needs a quick sugar hit. Drinkers with bigger sweet teeth may like this Glentauchers even more, but I do think it's an appealing take on partially-baked whisky.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - was around €50
Rating - 84

Things I Really Drink: Glenmorangie 18 year old (versus Glenmorangie 18 year old)

Bottled in a comically heavy glass weapon, and secured within a giant casket, Glenmorangie 18 year old posses the name Extremely Rare, the silliest sub-appellation since Mortlach Rare Old. But the 18 year old whisky has been reliable in the past, so I bought a 2021 bottling of the stuff and have since consumed the amber fluid that looks superfluous within its packaging:

Not only did I save a few ounces of the EXTREMELY RARE Glenmo, but I also unearthed a pre-2007 mini of the old 18 year old:

So you're getting a twofer here. One TIRD and a Taste Off.

Here are the details:

Distillery: Glenmorangie
Ownership: Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy (the accents and umlauts are on a smoke break)
Region: Highlands (Northern)
Age: at least 18 years
Maturation: 70% spent 18 years in American oak + 30% with 15 years in American oak & 3 years in oloroso casks
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
Chill-filtered? Yes
e150a? Yes

And here is the:

Tain Twain

Glenmorangie 18 year old bottled 2021	Glenmorangie 18 year old bottled pre-2007
The nose starts off with apples, cinnamon, saline and minerals, with lemon zest and concrete in the background. Hints of vanilla, roses and circus peanuts arise after a while. The fresh apples turn baked as well, with some brown sugar sprinkled on top.	Farm, yeast, pears and mead in the nose, reminding me of yesterday's 39yo Glenglassaugh. Slightly leafy as well, with a hint of white peaches. After 30 minutes it gains toasted almonds, pineapple and papaya.
A decent blend of tart and bitter, mixed with toasted oak and tobacco, arrives in the early palate. Lemons, citrons and green bananas later. It gets oakier with time.	Some OBE-esque dust and metal shows up in the palate, but it remains beneath the lemons, chile oil and toffee.
It finishes with sweet citrus, bitter citrus and vanilla, though it never gets too tannic.	The finish keeps the lemons and chiles, while also finding a hint of coal smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The older 18's nose was, by far, the highlight of the night. In fact it had me pondering if I had enough stupid money to track down a 700/750mL bottle. While the palate did not (could not?) match the sniffer, it did offer a sensory connection to the current bottling. They felt related there. The older version comes out on top due to its lighter oak and touch of something peated, in addition to the super nose. The 2021 batch reads perfectly produced for a contemporary palate, thanks to its citrus, vanilla, and determination not to rankle. So the blending team hit the mark, but also created something that's forgotten as soon as the glass is empty. Consider that before buying a bottle.

On one final note, I would like to thank LVMH for designing the perfect sized burial box for my daughters' stuffed animals. There is currently a closed-casket service underway for one unfortunate critter, or maybe seven. But never fear, they will walk again.

RATINGS:
Glenmorangie 18 year old Extremely Rare (2021) - 84

Glenmorangie 18 year old (pre-2007) - 87

Glenglassaugh 39 year old 1972, cask 2896

Glenglassaugh distillery's NAS official bottlings never inspire my palate, with the peated Torfa being damned near unpleasant. I don't understand why they haven't aspired to something better, or at least age-stated, in the fourteen years since their stills restarted. As a result, this site's first Glenglassaugh will be a 39 year old single cask distilled during the Highland Distillers era. Andrea Caminneci selected it for the German market from official Glenglassaugh casks ten years ago, when people could still do that sort of thing. It's a real heater for its age, 57.5%abv!

Serge and Ruben both gave this cask a score of 93 points, which to the online world is essentially the word of God, so my heresy will be confirmed if I grade it higher or lower. Cheers!

Distillery: Glenglassaugh

Distilled by: Highland Distillers
Current Owner: Brown-Forman

Region: Eastern Highlands (Banffshire)

Age: 39 years (1972 - 2012)

Maturation: refill sherry butt

Cask#: 2896

Outturn: 516 bottles

Exclusive to: Germany
Alcohol by Volume: 57.5%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

First gear: One of the waxiest noses I've come across, with farm, beach and old calvados filling in every corner. Second gear: Chalk, yuzu, lime and pear up top; toffee and wood spice underneath. Third gear: lychee and more wax.

Dunnage, salt, toasted nuts and mead arrive first in the palate, followed by tart cherries, yuzu, coal and fried plantains, getting sweeter with time.

The very long finish has toasty nuts and spices, honey, menthol, yuzu, lime, fried plantains and a hint of coal smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

How does one bottle Torfa, Evolution and Revival knowing this is the quality of malt that came before? Yes, those whiskies are ~3 years old, while cask 2896 is 39, but......almost a decade and a half have passed since the distillery reopened. How dark is that shadow?

While the 39's palate and finish are very good, the nose makes the world go quiet. Quality refill sherry butts continue to be the magical vessel. I spent a very long time with this pour, and I recommend that anyone who possesses a bottle of this whisky does the same.

Availability - Secondary markets
Pricing - ?
Rating - 91

The Night of 7 Mini Manhattan Cocktails

There has been less and less scotch at Columbus Scotch Night. Scotch whisky's availability and pricing have been going opposite directions in the US, and the Ohio market favors American whiskey. We also like to push the occasional Armagnac or Cognac night, and those always sell out.

Working together, my friends Mr. NO and Secret Agent Man curated a Rye Blind night last Monday. Seven half-ounce drops of different American ryes, labelled A through G, were poured for the group. Six were between $20 and $35, and a seventh originally sold for nearly $200. No one, other than Mr. NO, knew which was which. Interestingly, one of those whiskies turned out to be the favorite for 70% of the group.

I didn't take part in the tasting, and I wasn't much help in my edutainment role, because I was exhausted from the day. Also, as I've referenced in previous posts, my alcohol tolerance isn't what it used to be. So I took the samples home.

What to do with those seven samples? Manhattan Night for me! Seven mini Manhattan cocktails with identical recipes would be matched side by side. Part of me hoped that they would not all be awesome so I could spill a few out and not have a bad evening. Also I didn't want to be tempted to buy seven bottles of rye.

The recipe was simple: 2:1 ratio of rye to Carpano Antica, two dashes of Angostura bitters, two drops of Luxardo cherry syrup. These were the tools:

As a wiser, balder man than I once said, in the future: Engage.

The Manhattans

Manhattan from Rye A - Stellar balance of peppery spice, fruit and sugar. Would buy!

Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)

Manhattan from Rye B - Flat. Bland, yet harsh. It tastes plastic-bottle-whiskey cheap.

Rating: ★½

Manhattan from Rye C - Some really good heft to it. Spice leads the way. Probably the best finish.

Rating: ★★★½

Manhattan from Rye D - Well, it's different than the rest. Nuts, metal, flowers, a cherry lollipop too. Weird overall.

Rating: ★★½

Manhattan from Rye E - Clean, but light. Lowest ABV of the bunch? A little bit of spice and a slight vegetal note.

Rating: ★★½

Manhattan from Rye F - Also a bit strange as it has a strong cologne note. Balance is otherwise decent enough.

Rating: ★★½

Manhattan from Rye G - Easy drinking, right-down-the-middle balance. This would be a great Manhattan rye for a restaurant or bar.

Rating: ★★★

Okay. Ready for the reveal?

. . . . .

. . . . .

Ranked Reveal! With Notes!

#1 - Rye A - ★★★★ - Elijah Craig Rye, 47%abv, $33 in Ohio.

Yes! My bottle of this stuff has already been consumed, but I saved a sample so I owe the world a post about it. 

#2 - Rye C - ★★★½ - Kentucky Owl 11 year old ye, batch 1, 55.3%abv, was $189

This was the clear winner during the event, when people sipped their ryes neatly. I can confirm its bottle smelled good. Also, I'm somewhat relieved that it didn't place first during my tasting because its secondary market price is brutal.

#3 - Rye G - ★★★ - Rittenhouse BIB, 50%abv, $27

Thank goodness Ritt BIB still works. My last couple of bottles were subpar, but that was a half decade ago. As I said in my notes, this would be a great Manhattan rye for a restaurant or bar.

#4 - Rye D - ★★½ - Wild Turkey 101 Rye, 50.5%abv, $25

I expected this to rate higher as it's always been a go-to for my cabinet. Not sure what caused the odd notes.

#5 - Rye F - ★★½ - Old Forester Rye, 50%abv, $23

Another one I'd expected to rate higher, as I've been championing it since I first tried it. There's an unopened bottle in my cabinet. It'll be the next rye I open.

#6 - Rye E - ★★½ - Sazerac Rye, 45%abv, $30

I've never been the biggest fan of baby Saz. It works but doesn't thrill, especially for actual Sazerac cocktails. And I sorta guessed the ABV situation correctly.

#7 - Rye B - ★½ - George Dickel Rye, 45%abv, $22

The most filtered of the bunch, Dickel stood out from the group, and not in a good way, or even an acceptable way. I was probably generous in my rating. It was like I'd made my cocktail with Kessler or Fleischman's Preferred. Mr. NO said, "That Dickel is just garbage."

Final Thoughts, in list form

• This was a sticky mess. That's how you get ants.
• I dumped half of D, F, E and B, partially for safety (D, F, E), partially for bleh (B).
• Dickel Fail
• I'm looking forward to my next bottle of Elijah Craig rye, and will give Rittenhouse another chance.
• WT101 and Old Forester require further study.
• Congrats to everyone who picked up a bottle of Kentucky Owl rye, batch 1, when it first came out. I hope you drank it!
• Thank you to Mr. NO and Secret Agent Man for curating this tasting!

Glen Elgin 10 year old 2007 SMWS 85.49

Though I've had no more than a handful of Glen Elgin single malts, I've yet to have a whisky from this Lossie distillery that I actually enjoy. Even the official 12 year old, whose review was pulled from this blog before posting because I thought the sample was ruined, is not something I'm interested in sipping again, even after three tries. I'm not one to hold grudges (a lie), so I hope this SMWS cask wins me over (a truth).

Distillery: Glen Elgin
Owner: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 10 years (25 Oct 2007 - 2018)

Maturation: first-fill bourbon barrel

Cask#: 85.49

Outturn: 222 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 60.9%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose is HOT, raw and slightly malty. Flower kiss candy, wet leaves and confectioner's sugar float in vodka. The hot, sweet and floral palate gradually allows minor notes of metal and oranges to escape. It finishes with sweet and tangy citrus, woody ash and ethanol.

DILUTED to ~46%, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Flowers join the flower kiss candy in the nose, followed by coconut, vanilla and barrel char. The palate begins with something floral and a lot of woody bitterness, followed by orange pixy stix and saline. Gets very sweet, like a sugar-doped rum. It finishes with barrel char, orange candy, and that sugared-up rum note.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As you can guess, this Glen Elgin did not win me over, but that's due less to the spirit and more to the barrel itself. It's a capital "C" Craft whisky, hot AF yet oaky AF. This was a difficult sample to finish, which is a shame since the similarly aged SMWS Dailuaine from last week was quite good. An uneven start for the Glens this week.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ?
Rating - 74