The Reserva De Porto is part of Glencadam's Portwood-finished series, taking the distillery's characteristically light, sweet Highland new-make and finishing it in casks that previously held port. It is bottled at 46% abv, unchillfiltered and without added colouring — the presentation Angus Dundee reserves for its more considered releases.
Glencadam's house spirit is a good candidate for this kind of treatment. Because the distillate is relatively delicate, port wood has room to speak without having to shout over a heavier malt. The result is a whisky in which the finish is audible but not overbearing: red fruit and a gentle sweetness sit on top of the distillery's familiar orchard and barley character rather than smothering it.
On the nose there is the expected berry signature of port finishing — strawberry, cranberry, a little raisin — alongside Glencadam's vanilla and soft cereal base. The palate is juicy rather than jammy, and the tannin from the fortified-wine casks only makes itself known toward the end, when it lends a drying, slightly grippy quality that keeps the whisky from tipping into confection.
It is a sensible finish done sensibly. Too many Portwood bottlings treat the cask as a special effect; here it is treated as seasoning. Duncan's verdict: an honest and well-judged expression that respects both the Angus spirit and the Douro wood, and a fair-value addition to the finished-malt shelf.
