Glencadam's 17 Year Old Triple Cask sits among the older expressions in a core range that the Brechin distillery has gradually rebuilt since Angus Dundee Distillers acquired the site in 2003. It draws on a combination of cask types — typical of triple cask bottlings, where ex-bourbon, sherry and a third wood are used in concert to broaden the flavour palette.
Founded in 1825, Glencadam is the last surviving distillery in Brechin, a town that once held two. Its lantern-shaped stills, set with an unusual upward lyne arm, encourage extra reflux and produce the soft, fruit-driven new make for which the distillery is known. That gentle character is well suited to extended ageing without being smothered by the wood.
At 17 years, the spirit has had time to absorb the cask influences without losing its core malty sweetness. The 46% bottling strength, non-chill filtered and at natural colour, follows the house philosophy applied across the range — keeping texture and aromatic detail intact.
Glencadam remains one of the quieter names in the Highland category, rarely shouted about in the glossier corners of whisky writing. That neglect is undeserved. The 17 Year Old Triple Cask is a measured, classical Highland malt that rewards patient drinking and shows what a small, traditional distillery can do when left to its own devices.
