Impression // Tomintoul x Glencadam

The months of May and June were particularly busy to me. Besides preparing exams for my own students, I also had to cram for my own exams. In this period, I also attended 2 tastings organized by Angus Dundee, focusing on 2 of their brands: Tomintoul and Glencadam. In this impression article, I’d like to revisit the core range expressions I tasted during the 2 tasting sessions, and write down my tasting notes.

Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove

Photography is © Angus Dundee

Angus Dundee

Before I start talking about Tomintoul or Glencadam, I would like to talk a bit about Angus Dundee, the company that owns these two distilleries. If you’re wondering why I this is necessary, it’s because I would like to give a small overview of how the company and its products are structured. Angus Dundee has two single malt distilleries, namely Tomintoul, in the Speyside area, and Glencadam, in the Highlands area, both in Scotland. Besides that, AD also has a bottling plant in Coatbridge near Glasgow. The company is focused on distilling and bottling their own products, as well as providing clients with custom-made spirits, and also offering bulk whisky for local bottling.

With over 60 years of experience in distilling, bottling, and exporting Scotch whisky and other spirits to over 80 countries in the world, there’s a high chance you’ve already tasted at least one of their products. In case you’re wondering, here are the brands that are owned by Angus Dundee: Tomintoul, Glencadam, Parkers, Smokey Joe, Old Ballantruan, Glen Kirk, Glen Parker, Scottish Royal, The Dundee, Single Cask, Hamiltons, Strathcolm, and Chelsea Royal Gin.

As mentioned in the introduction, I’ll be taking a look at expressions from the core ranges of Tomintoul and Glencadam. I was invited to attend both tasting sessions, which were led by Iain Forteath, Experienced Global Brand Ambassador and Whisky Blender for Angus Dundee. A big thank you to those involved in setting this up!

Tomintoul - Speyside Single Malt

Let’s start with Tomintoul, a distillery in the Speyside area producing whisky expressions in the core range that go through the process of chilled filtration and caramel-coloring. The expressions I tasted were matured on bourbon casks only, and were all bottled at 40% ABV.

You’re probably wondering why a brand would be so open about using chilled filtration and adding caramel-coloring. Well, that’s because they haven’t got anything to hide. Why would they?

Of course, the whisky world is really focused on producing products that are non-chill filtered and have no artificial coloring added to them, but I sometimes wonder why the general public should care about this. After all, most of us will never get the opportunity to taste a whisky in its 2 iterations: non-chill filtered and chilled filtered. So why worry about it?

I’m not going to go into details of why I think we should ignore that discussion in this article. If you’d like to read up on my thoughts, I suggest you check out another review I did, in which I talk at length about this topic.

10 year old (40% ABV)

Let’s start with an expression that Forteath designates as a “picnic whisky”. The 10 year old Tomintoul might be only 40% ABV in theory, but it’s definitely not a ‘watered down dram’.

On the nose, I picked up a little bit of varnish, a creamy, even buttery note, a bit of banana, vanilla pudding, and finally some brown sugar. Flavor-wise, I immediately noticed a bit of toasted brown bread, some honey, and the same creamy note, blended with caramel. The finish is nice and dry, and sticks around for a bit, courtesy of the liquid itself being a bit stickier than water.

16 year old (40% ABV)

Next, the 16 year old expression. From the scent alone, there’s a significant ‘build up’ towards a more refined and complex whisky. It’s more 'convincing', there's more 'force' behind it, not brutish, but more like a 'here I am, come and get it' vibe.

The creamy, caramel returns in this dram, but is soon accompanied by scents of a sun-drenched field and coffee beans. On the palate, this dram tastes a bit sweeter, but soon turns a bit drier too. The vanilla is back, and the creamy note is now present in the flavors more than the nose. There’s also a nutty note in there. The finish is a bit shorter, but a bit more spicy.

21 year old (40% ABV)

Finally, the 21 year old expression, which is my favorite of the 3. I love how the 10 year old is light, then the 16 year old is more upfront, and then the 21 year old is basically the culmination that doesn't have to prove anything.  A genuine delight.

In the nose, a profile which is again a bit softer than the 16 year old, but not in the sense that everything ‘falls flat’. There are varnished wood notes, with a hint of vanilla and a ‘fresh touch’. It’s nice and delicate, and it urges you to take some time.

When I tasted the dram, I got a peculiar sensation: I tasted and felt ‘nettles’ in my mouth, not aggressive in nature, but rather pleasantly nestled in the middle of the flavor package. There’s dark bread in the flavors, together with creamy caramel and a bit of spice. Wonderful!

Glencadam - Highland Single Malt

The second set of samples all came from the Glencadam core range, all bottled at 46% ABV. It’s noteworthy that these samples are aged 10 years, 15 years, and 21 years. Very close in age to the Tomintoul samples, but naturally you expect an entirely different profile, given that these whiskies hail from the Highlands rather than Speyside Glenlivet.

10 year old (46% ABV)

There are some spices and greens, and even a bit of banana in the nose of this expression, and I swear I could smell Marseille soap after the dram had some time in the glass. There’s a sharper side to this one as well, but not in the sense that it is bothersome, more in the sense that you have to pay attention to what’s going on. I tasted a whisky that was less sharp on the tongue than in the nose, with flavors of vanilla and a certain fruitiness in there, before giving a slightly warming sensation at the end. The finish is rather short, but I think that’s normal given the 'younger’ age of the whisky.

15 year old (46% ABV)

Next up, I tasted the 15 year old expression. This whisky, from a musical perspective, is a low humming building up to a wonderful slow ballad about heroism and lost love. I think that describes it best.

I came to this conclusion because of the build-up of the dram. There’s vanilla rice pudding with cinnamon and nutmeg in the nose, which seems to intensify a bit after you had your first sip. There’s a warming sensation in the mouth, earlier and more powerful than in the 10 year old expression. The same fruitiness and vanilla that are present in the previous expression are here as well, but they are more intense.

21 year old (46% ABV)

I’ll continue with the musical references with the 21 year old. If the 15 year old is a slow ballad, then this expression is a song about empowerment and pride.

In the nose, a rich set of scents, giving me notes of chutney and lemon peels. There’s a bit of cream in there too, but ever so slightly. Baking spices and toasted bread reveal themselves after getting cozy in the glass. The flavors are nice and delicate, with the same spices as before, mixed with some vanilla. There’s some wood as well, and the bread is back. The finish offers a bit of a dry note too.