Glencadam can be found in the town of Brechin in the east Highlands. The distillery reopened in 2003 when it was bought by new owners, Angus Dundee Distillers. It had been closed by the previous owners in 2000, who kept everything intact so that production could restart immediately (this is called 'mothballing'). There is currently only one distillery bottling from Glencadam, which is a 15 years old, and most of the whisky produced goes into blends (primarily Ballantine's and Teacher's). However, there are a number of independent bottling releases. This one is a 16 years old and is limited to only 3840 bottles. It has been bottled for Milroy's, a famous whisky and wine shop in the centre of London, and I understand it will be available soon for around £50.
The colour is light for something of this age (similar to the colour of hay). The nose is very vegetal with sweet, grassy and floral notes (like a spring meadow), although a whiff of raw spirit is also present. On the palate, there is an initial zing of citrus zest with vanilla and a sugary sweetness taking over. It is very light and quite refreshing. The finish is very disappointing, it is pretty much gone before it's got started with lots of raw spirit present. This is a shame because otherwise it is a decent, light and refreshing whisky.
