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Friday, September 30, 2022

Glencadam 8 year old 2011 SMWS 82.23

Time for a baby Glencadam! Today's whisky was pulled from a second fill bourbon barrel before its first decade was done, and the color is sort of pinot gris, so maybe this will provide a better glimpse into the spirit and solve the smoky mystery. Or it'll burn my face with its 63.5%abv. Only one way to find out!

Distillery: Glencadam
Owner: Angus Dundee Distillers
Region: Eastern Highlands
Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 8 years (16 Mar 2011 - 2019)
Maturation: second-fill bourbon barrel
Cask #: 82.23
Outturn: 235 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 63.5% 🔥🔥🔥
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose is very purdy. Roses, flower kiss candy and lemon juice appear first. Then cucumber, dandelion(?), dried apricots, soil and mint candy. Some vanilla-scented soap in the background. Smells beer-like at times, and never reads too hot. The palate doesn't burn too badly either. It's a little sweet, a little floral, and a little yeasty. Some bubblegum and ginger beer, with mild bitterness in the background. Its finish reads similar to the palate: Roses, grassy, yeast, sugar, gentle bitterness and a peppery bite.

Hosing it down:

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 2¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Gets a little weird here, with the nose firing off notes of mustard, dried grass, dried flowers, sugar and peach candy. The palate simplifies, resulting in flowers, barley and herbal bitterness. It finishes with roses, mint and sugar.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Another SMWS release that hits close to its cask name, "Petals and peaches". And it's not bad for such a young high-ABV malt. (Mr. Opinions likes it even more than I do!) I should have matched this up with last Friday's 8yo Glentauchers to see how they played off each other. The Glencadam does not solve the outstanding phenolic mystery, instead reading more like its reportedly floral newmake. Rarely will I say this about such a heater, but I prefer it at full power.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - was around €60
Rating - 82