Glencadam Reserva De Madeira

Glencadam from the distillery, at 46%. Glencadam is a Highland single malt, founded in 1825 in Angus, in the eastern Highlands. Its stills carry lyne arms angled upward, raising the reflux for a lighter, fruitier spirit. In the 1890s the Glasgow blender Gilmour Thomson used its malt in a Royal blend said to be favoured by Edward VII. It became a core malt of the Ballantine's blend after Hiram Walker bought it in 1954. The distillery markets itself on a deliberately delicate house style, all orchard and tropical fruit. It is the only distillery in Angus, and the last in Brechin since North Port closed in 1983.

Drawn from a long fermentation, for a fine, fruity spirit with a light body. A Madeira cask held it, drawing the light spirit on over the years. Carrying no age, soft vanillin and orchard fruit suggest a fair spell in oak. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

At 46% it is fruity, creamy and soft. Pear drops, melon and a soft barley sugar, with a nutty, raisined sweetness from the cask. A green apple and a gentle citrus lift the middle. It finishes light, fresh and faintly creamy. This is a fresh, fruity Highland single malt.