Our star whisky this month, is a Highland single malt, Glencadam 14-year old, 46%ABV, distilled in 1992, which is non-chill filtered, and has no color added. The Glencadam distillery is located in the

historic town of Brechin, which was once a walled city on the east coast. Its cathedral dates back to 1150 and was dedicated to St. Ninian. In the middle ages this was a center of piety and culture, with monks and bishops traveling here to teach fine arts and religion. Today Brechin is a thriving manufacturing town. 

The distillery was established in 1825 by George Cooper and at present is owned by London-based Angus Dundee, which also owns Tomintoul single malt. Today Glencadam is an essential component to Ballantines and Stewarts Cream of the Barley branded blends. Recently a distillery bottled 15-year old (bottled at 40%ABV) has become available, although not yet easy to find in the US. The city of Brechin used to have two distilleries but North Port Distillery, which closed in 1983, was recently demolished. Glencadam and Fettercairn are the sole surviving distilleries of the Eastern Highlands region.

The name derives from Glen (Anglicized Scottish Gaelic word for gleann, river valley in mountain or hill country). Cadam is the name of a house with unknown meaning and is pronounced Glen KAdam. Three different references list three different water sources as its source of spring water.

The stills for this whisky are unusual in that the lyne arm off the top of the pot-still runs up at a 15º angle rather than downwards or level which would make some of the condensed distillate run back into the pot. This, some say, accounts for a particularly mellow flavor.

Most recently, Glencadam 15-Year Old Single Malt Scotch was awarded a Gold

Medal at the UK-based 2005 International Spirits Challenge, a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and an 88 Point rating from the Beverage

Testing Institute.

Jim Murray rates a 13-year old Glencadam an 80.  

In Whisky magazine, when rating the 15-year old distillery bottling, Michael Jackson notes:

Nose:  Powerful. Spicy. Cinnamon. Dry.

Palate: Cereal, coconut, toffee, raisins. Winey.

Finish: Rummy. Medicinal.

Comment: A very unusual whisky. I liked it, but it would benefit from a firmer malty middle to support the interesting component flavors. He rates it an 8 out of 10.

The Malt Maniacs awarded the 15-year old a Bronze medal in the 2005 competition. Their judges wrote:

“Rotten fruit, sherry, nice heavy fruit and some citric notes, nice sweet spices, heat (82)” –Davin

“Sherry, cherries, toffee, nuts some vinegar, toffee, sherry palate with nut skins, raisins.

Fruitcake - sherry nuts and drying nutty & leather finish - bit metallic - drying wood. (86)” -Craig

Our independent bottler, Lorne Mackillop, describes our dram thusly:

Shiny gold color with thick legs. The nose is composed of butterscotch, a green peat note and an eggy, custard sort of touch in the second half. Not a powerhouse, but a pretty, pleasant whisky perfect for summer drinking.

Our number two and number three single malts are part of what distillery conglomerate Diageo calls its “Classic Malts.” When this marketing idea was launched in 1988 they included Lagavullin, Cragganmore, Oban, Caol Isla, Glenkinchie, Talisker and Dalwhinnie.  More recent acquisitions now marketed under this umbrella of “Classics” are Cardhu, Clynelish, Glen Elgin, Knockando, Royal Lochnagar and the star whisky from our last meeting Auchroisk, now marketed as The Singleton of Glendullan. The two malts for our consideration this month are the Dalwhinnie 15-year old, 43% ABV and a Talisker 18-year old 45.8% ABV.

Dalwhinnie distillery is situated in the heart of the Highlands. Its flavor is between the gentle, grassy style of the Lowlands and the austere, firm body of Speyside, which begins some 25 miles to the north. Dalwhinnie is Gaelic for “Meeting Place,” or “Field of the Champions” depending on what source one reads. Its pronunciation is dal WHINnie. The distillery was originally called Strathspey, when it was founded in 1897. Nowadays, about 10% of its output is sold as a single malt with the remainder being used in blends such as Black & White, a Buchannan Blend and Pinch (The Dimple).

The water source for this whisky is from the highest mountain source of any malt, Lochan an Doire-Uaine, (Gaelic for “lake in the green grove”), which lies at 2,000 feet in the Drumochter Hills. From it, all the pure spring water used in distilling Dalwhinnie flows over rich local peat through Allt an t'Sluic, the distillery burn. The distillers think the malty-sweet taste, giving way to a smooth and smoky Highland mouth feel is partially a result of this spring water.

A physical distilling characteristic it shares with Talisker is wooden worm-tubs. Old distillerymen say that the slow deliberate condensation, which takes place in a copper worm (a coil of copper of decreasing diameter, submerged in a cold water bath), can’t be matched in more modern condensing vessels, which are much shorter but still use cold water to condense the distillate.

“The Highland peatiness is very restrained at first, balanced by heathery sweetness, but intensifies toward the finish. Clear flavours against a very clean background. A good aperitif,” says Michael Jackson, whisky writer and expert, who rates it a 76.

Jim Murray rates Dalwhinnie a 94. He says of the nose, “Sublime stuff: a curious mixture of coke smoke and peat-reek wafts teasingly over the gently honied malt. A hint of melon offers some fruit but the caressing malt stars.”  Of the palate he notes, “That rarest of combinations: at once silky and malt intense, yet at the same time peppery and tin-hat time [what?] for the taste buds, but the silk wins out and a sheen of barley sugar coats everything, soft peat included.”

Dalwhinnie 15-year old won a Gold Medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirit Competition and a Silver in the 2006 competition

                                                                         

At the World Whisky Awards of 2007, sponsored by Whisky Magazine, Talisker 18-year old, our third whisky, took two top honors as “The World’s Best Single Malt Whisky” and “The World’s Best Islands (non-Islay) Single Malt.”

These are a few of their judges’ comments:

“Elegant with fascinating balance between smoke and subtle sweet fruit. Ever changing in the glass and on the palate. Gentle waves of flavour, superb balance and a classic peppery finish. Seamless.”  -Dave Broom   

“Baked orange pudding sprinkled with cinnamon, pomanders and a trace of manila envelope. A silky mouth feel and develops into richer orange marmalade with burnt edges”  -Annabel Meikle    

“Toffee and rich peat smoke on the nose. The alcohol bite on the palate gives way to rich sweet peat smoke, some sea notes and plenty of peppery spice. Nicely rounded and complete. Some wood, too, suggesting its age. Like chewing honeycomb and smoky bacon at the same time. Long, spicy and peaty finish. Whisky doesn’t get much finer than this.”  -Dominic Roskrow

“Warm, rich and attractive. Leather, pipe-tobacco, sweet sherry and polished oak on the nose, followed by a good creamy texture and a warming finish. A very attractive dram.”  -Keir Sword

(I know, you’re thinking to yourself “why can’t Mark get away from these smokey whiskys,” but with the designation as “World’s Best” I couldn’t resist.) 

Talisker’s name is from Old Norse for “Sloping Rock.” (Many Norse raided and occupied the outer islands of Scotland over the centuries.) It is pronounced TALisker.

Talisker is the only distillery on the Isle of Skye in the northern islands off the west coast.

However, an independent bottler on the island, Pràban, utilizing Talisker in their products, makes a vatted malt called Poit Dubh, pronounced “potch ghoo”,  literally meaning “black pot”, and a blend, Te Bheag, pronounced “chey vek”, which means “the little lady.” Pràban is also trying to come up with the funds to build a distillery of their own.

The MacAskills built Talisker Distillery in 1830 against the fiery protestations of the abstainer and former parish Minister, the Rev. Roderick Macleod, who declared this “one of the greatest curses that... could befall it or any other place”. However, it wasn't long before their elixir was commented on more favourably, by no less a writer than Robert Louis Stevenson. These succinct lines appear in a poem which might have been subtitled “A Simple Guide to Malt Whisky” – “The king o’drinks as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla or Glenlivet” The Scotsman's Return from Abroad - RL Stevenson 1880. Today it is owned by Diageo.

Talisker’s soft, peaty process water is drawn from twenty-one underground springs that rise from Hawk Hill (Cnoc nan Speirag) beside the distillery. These same springs have fed Talisker from the beginning. As its name suggests, the hill is home to birds of prey, usually including Peregrines.

Today, 20,000 gallons an hour of cooling water from the fast running Carbost Burn fill a traditional Talisker feature - five wooden “worm tubs”, located outside the still house.

Talisker's two wash stills, carefully recreated after the 1960 fire, are unique. The lyne arms or pipes leading off from the main neck are U-shaped, to trap vapors from the first distillation before they reach the outside worm tubs, whilst a small secondary copper pipe carries the vapors so trapped back to the wash stills for a second distillation.

Faithfully following the original design, it is believed that this double distillation ensures that all of Talisker’s rich, deep character is captured first time.

“Famously distinctive Island malt. From the western Scottish island of Skye. I believe that the volcanic rock of Skye contributes to the pungent aroma; peppery flavour; and big finish. Unusual still design may add a further dimension,” says Michael Jackson, who rates the 10-year old at a 90.

Jim Murray rates a 20-year old at a 95, and of the nose he states, “An exceptional sherry butt [type of cask] that brilliantly allows full scope for the spicy excesses of the distillery to spill over; sensational.”  Of the palate he states, “Almost unreal marriage of ultra rich and clean sherry with explosive peat.  The usual Talisker viciousness with the sherry somehow hanging on for the ride.”

At the 2006 Drammie Awards on WhiskyBlog.com, Talisker 18-year old was awarded Best Bang for Your Buck award. It also won a Gold Medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirit Competition and a Double Gold in the 2006 competition.

Glencadam 14-year old, distilled 1992 (46%ABV) non-chill filtered and

uncolored bottling, single cask #1453,

Dalwhinnie 15-year old (43% ABV)

Talisker 18-year old (45.8% ABV)