Glencadam 13 Years Old 2004

This official Glencadam, a 13 year old, from 2004, cask 179, at 62.1%, a festival bottling. Glencadam is a gentle, fruity Highland malt of orchard and tropical fruit. Its water comes from Loch Lee in the Cairngorms, piped down through the River Esk catchment. It was founded in 1825 by the merchant George Cooper, soon after the Excise Act made licensed distilling viable.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, for a fine, fruity spirit with a light body. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend a riper orchard and tropical fruit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. A soft, creamy texture from the spirit carries through the maturation. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the light spirit.

At a hearty 62.1% it carries real weight. Apple, apricot and a gentle spice, lifted by a soft oak. Melon, pear and a creamy honey fill the middle. The finish runs delicate, fruity and creamy. This is the gentle, fruity malt of the eastern Highlands.