Pour Judgement: Reviews & Ranking
There have been a few articles over the past several months by whisky bloggers and writers that deal with the subject of whisky evaluation (really, great stuff). Generally, they comment on the state of the review industry – both professional and amateur, however you want to define those terms – and an examination of what they do, usually spurred by a change they are themselves making. Draw your own conclusions about whisky bloggers in general and the choices they make in particular, but it drove home the point that there isn’t necessarily a detailed, transparent place where the aims of Scotchology have been listed out.
Glencadam 15 Year
Founded in 1825, next to Brechin distillery (closed permanently in 1983), Glencadam has changed hands many times over the past almost two hundred years. Angus Dundee (who also owns Tomintoul) is the current owner and the distillery has been in production since 2003. The Glencadam 15 Year is part of a single malt range from 10 to 21 years, with the remaining portions used in blends such as Ballantine’s. The water, fed by the Barry Burn, is known for being soft. The distillery’s output is a relatively low 1.4 million liters per year. The name “Glencadam” comes from the area known as “The Tenements of Caldhame,” which were grounds given to the town by the crown for food production located near the distillery.
Craigellachie 13 Year
Though the village of Craigellachie may be more famous as the home of The Macallan, as well as the confluence of the rivers Spey and Fiddich, it is also home to the Craigellachie Distillery. It has generally flown under the whisky radar due to the fact that its output has always gone into blends, specifically Dewar’s (the distillery is owned by Bicardi but managed directly by Dewar & Sons). Thankfully, a few single malt expressions have been put out as part of Dewar’s Last Great Malts series, which focuses on new expressions and malts never released before. Aside from being uncompromising in taste, the distillery is also known for the use of the unique worm tubs, a call back to an earlier time in whisky production.