Glencadam 27 Years Old 1996

This official Glencadam, a 27 year old, from 1996, at 46%, 1691 bottles in all. Glencadam is a Highland single malt, revived under Angus Dundee ownership in 2003. In the 1890s the Glasgow blender Gilmour Thomson used its malt in a Royal blend said to be favoured by Edward VII.

The spirit was drawn from a long fermentation, shaping a gentle, fragrant malt with a tropical lift. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the delicate Glencadam make. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into mango, beeswax and a creamy honey. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the light spirit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool, racked Highland warehouses. The clean, fruity spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out a creamy honey. Because the upward lyne arms keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years.

Bottled at 46%, it is light and creamy. Pear, apple and a soft cream, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run pear, apple and a soft cream. A fresh finish closes on pear and a soft oak. This is a light, fruity Highland single malt.