...where distraction is the main attraction.

Saturday, July 19, 2025

A Highland Distillery 37 year old 1985 Cadenhead's Club

Though none of these three whiskies were world beaters (oops, SPOILER ALERT), it's still a tremendous pleasure to drink these old Glenmos after consuming American whiskies 1/5 to 1/10 their age for the past few weeks. As a an added plus, none of these three malts (SPOILER ALERT) were tannic oaky beasts.

It's time for me to switch verb tenses and move on to the last of the trio.

Distillery: Glenmorangie
Ownership: LVMH
Region: Highlands
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead
Range: Cadenhead's Club
Age: 37 years old (1985 - 2022)
Maturation: "Bourbon"
Outturn: 318 bottles (not a single cask)
Alcohol by Volume: 46.1%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Ah, the most complex nose of the group. Crème brûlée w/ orange zest, talcum powder, and dried apricots up top; a mix of apples and pears, like a Calvados Domfrontais in the middle; dusty and floral with a pinch of baking spices in the back.

On the palate, picture limoncello but with much less sugar. Apricots, peaches, and a squeeze of lime. Toasty oak spice and a little bit of good bitterness. Never too sweet...

...though the finish is sweeter. Mint candy and lemon candy. Oak spice and some of the palate's bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WODRS

The two Cadenhead bottlings fought it out for my favorite from this group. This one has more angles, but also shows more oak, while the other one offers more drinking pleasures, so I'll give Thursday's 37yo "A Highland Distillery" the slight edge. I'd be happy to own a bottle of either......if 30+ year old whiskies were anywhere near my budget. If your budget is broader, and you want a birthday (or child's birthday) bottle of good drinkin', these secret Glenmorangies might be for you.

Availability - Secondary market, maybe
Pricing - probably around the same price as its kin
Rating - 88