1991 – 22yo Glencadam 55.3% ABV – £76.95

Abbey Whisky have released the fourth bottling for The Rare Casks series.  The ethos of The Rare Casks series is to introduce and explore drams that excite and stimulate discussion. The latest addition to the range is no exception.

Release 4 in the Rare Casks series is a stunning Highland malt from the Glencadam distillery. Distilled in 1991 and aged in a refill bourbon cask for 22 years, this is a truly wonderful addition to this cask strength series of malts.  Having previously been mothballed, the distillery was brought back to life in 2003 and is the only existing distillery in the region of Angus.

The dram possesses a distinct haze which hints at the true rustic character you would expect from a cask strength malt bottled in its truest natural form, without chill filtering or colour additives and there are only 96 bottles and these are at cask strength of 53.3% ABV. You can buy this through the Abbey Whisky Website here.

Having previously tried some of the drams that Abbey Whisky have on offer via a Tweet Tasting, we were very excited indeed when this arrived.  So on to the tasting.

Kirsty’s Notes:

Nose:

Fresh heather honey, Beeswax, honeycomb with a touch of ripe pear and a gentle citrus fizzing in the background.  Warm bales of hay and dew covered honeysuckle.  There’s a definite lemon sherbet tingle on the nose and a touch of sweet galia melon.  Allowed some time in the glass to open up, a sweet, cereal note is present reminiscent of digestive biscuits steeped in sweet tea, and condensed milk and bread.   Last but by no means least, there is a fleeting note of freshly baked banana bread.

Palate:

Hot to start with a little chilli tingle, this quickly makes way for the sweet notes so promised on the nose.  Honey is everywhere, first it’s a big manuka honey hit, and then it tames down and becomes softer, think more hot buttered toast and a light spread of honey.  There’s a small mint note, before burnt spun sugar makes its presence known.  There’s fruits from the tropics, with a hint of guava and mango with a bitter coconut edge before the malt brings its calming influence.  Rich cream and touch of fudge round this wonderful dram off.

Conclusions:

The nose on this is simply fantastic, I could easily nose this all day, the perfect balance of sweetness and gentle malt, with soft fruits that are constantly evolving.  It’s rich and mouth coating with a gentle sweet finish.  The price is fantastic for this 22 Year Old whisky, especially with such a low outturn.  I would definitely recommend buying this!

@KirstyClarke29

Stewart’s Notes:

Nose:

Damp grass, lemon window cleaner and pear drops, vanilla truffles and polished apples.

Palate:

Warm tropical fruits with melted sugar, malted milk biscuits before moving on to fresh lemon and lime and slight hints of warm chocolate sauce.  Damp grass blowing in the wind.  This is like a tropical fruit salad on a warm summer’s day.

Conclusions:

This is a great little dram from an often overlooked distillery.   Very refreshing and easy to grasp.  A wonderful purchase at the price.

@StewartCraigon