William Cadenhead Ltd was founded in 1842 and is Scotland’s oldest independent bottler. Cadenhead’s Original Collection whiskies provide a showcase of various distilleries from Scotland and beyond. Each distillery has its own distinct character.
Appearance: Oak in colour, pleasingly dark. A substantial swirl mark and viscous film around the glass. Lots of very thick legs form immediately.
Nose: Noises higher than 46%, and a decent ABV wave rises from the glass. It’s a great balance of alcohol, sweet and spicy notes. Lots of varnished furniture, red apple, confectionary sugar, baking spices and a touch of sulphur funk.
Palate: A lovely semi-viscous mouthfeel and, again, it presents higher than 46% on the palate: spiced caramel, black pepper, cinnamon and red apple.
The spices build steadily to a mild chilli heat and slight tingle.
Oak, Cherry Coke and a slight drying emerge next, along with the baking spices.
There’s an undercurrent of Sulphur, but it never completely appears, just hints.
A bitter blood-orange note creeps in halfway through the dram, which I’m not fond of.
Finish: Medium to long. That ‘almost sulphur’, oak and confectionary sugar linger for a decent amount of time. The spice and chilli heat dissipates fairly quickly.
Overall: It’s a very decent whisky and I’m just annoyed it’s just a sample I have. I believe a bottle would be a real whisky journey and evolve well over time and with air.
