Chieftain’s 1985 Glencadam 22 Year Old

Glencadam is another distillery that’s more well-known for not being that well-known. Having been around since the 1825, many ownership changes over the years have finally led this Highland malt to the stable of Angus Dundee and where it’s long been used primarily in Dundee blends (Parkers, Scottish Royal) and in Ballantine’s. Recently, Glencadam’s exapanded their distillery range to include a couple of sherry cask finishes and a 30 year old single cask.

The Nose: Bourbon-y nose! Vanilla and candied orange and caramel, but distinguished by slight floral/herb-y touch. Bright, not much age present on the nose.

The Palate: Rich, rich mouthfeel. Bourbon-y sweet to start then moves into some solid, polished oak and mature malt, at first rich and deep then very drying and tannic.

The Finish: Oaky but in a good balanced way.

Thoughts: Really good stuff, pretty interesting and delicious. I wasn’t expecting that sugared Kentucky nose…must have been a lively cask. Nice transition from bourbon & fruit to oak.

Chieftain’s 1985 Glencadam 22 Year Old, Highland

43% ABV

Score:  85

Chieftain’s 1994 Longmorn 13 Year Old

Like Glencadam, Longmorn is probably more well know for its place in blends, specifically Chivas. The Longmorn 16 Year old is the sole distillery bottling of this Speysider.

The Nose: A little plain and restrained, light fruit and a touch floral. There’s some tropical fruit and apple, with a touch of vanilla, but there’s also a bit of “hot” alcohol as well.

The Palate: Slight mouthfeel with more tropical fruit and honey to start, but then turns a bit more oakey than expected. While the oak had some decent vanilla, it was a bit too forward.

The Finish: Tannic, but also a little green.

Thoughts: This one didn’t do much for me. The nose was a bit too restrained, especially compared with the palate that seemed to have too much young oak.

Chieftain’s 1994 Longmorn 13 Year Old, Speyside

43% ABV

Score 78