Glencadam 13 Years Old Cask #Batch 4

Glencadam from the distillery, a 13 year old, cask Batch 4, at 46%, 5994 bottles in all. Glencadam is a Highland single malt, founded in 1825 in Angus, in the eastern Highlands. Its single malts are bottled at 46 percent, without chill filtration or added colour. It was bought by Angus Dundee Distillers in 2003, who also own Tomintoul, ending a three year closure.

Distilled from unpeated malt, for a creamy, fruity make with real elegance. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the fruity spirit growing rounder and creamier. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the light Highland spirit. Because the upward lyne arms keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the light spirit. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool, racked Highland warehouses.

At an approachable 46% it is fresh and clean. Apple, apricot and a gentle spice, lifted by a soft oak. Soft pear and a creamy vanilla sit behind the cask. The finish is rounded, fruity and clean. This is a light, fruity Highland single malt.