Glencadam 1989-2003 - 13 Year Old - Cadenheads Authentic Collection - Single Cask

Glencadam is a relatively small Highland distillery that often flies under the radar of many malt fans. Owned by Angus Dundee Distillers, who bought Glencadam from Allied Domecq in 2003, the distillery celebrated a momentous occasion in 2021 with the installation of a water-wheel to generate their electricity - the original distillery built in 1825 was equipped with a similar water-wheel that powered operations for almost 100 years.

In common with its stablemate, Tomintoul, the vast majority of Glencadam’s gentle Highland single malt goes into Angus Dundee’s many blended whiskies. Prior to the Angus Dundee takeover official bottlings of Glencadam were almost non-existent, but there is now a solid core range enhanced by frequent single cask and small batch editions. Independent Glencadams are plentiful, with older vintages from the usual suspects generally very good value, especially at auction.

In 1842 George Duncan established a wine merchant and distillery agency business in Aberdeen. Duncan was joined in the early 1850s by his brother-in-law William Cadenhead, who took over the business after Duncan’s death in 1858, changing the company’s name to Wm. Cadenhead. When Cadenhead died in 1904 the company passed to his nephew Robert Duthie, who developed the spirits side of the business.

Duthie died suddenly in 1931, and employee Ann Oliver was put in charge of Cadenhead’s. Sadly, Oliver’s tenure ended in financial difficulty and on her retirement in 1972 the business was forced to sell its entire inventory. Cadenhead’s was acquired soon afterwards by J & A Mitchell, proprietors of Springbank distillery, who relocated the business to Campbeltown. Cadenhead’s has flourished under Mitchell’s stewardship, releasing many legendary single malt bottlings in the 1980s and 1990s and now has outlets in Edinburgh and London as well as Campbeltown.