Apparently the Cadenhead’s Club exists for 10 years. In that time there have been a couple of bottlings, although the last few were unable to be shipped to the Netherlands, or prohibitively expensive to have shipped and allowed into the country.

Luckily, Cadenhead and Springbank have found a solution for that with a regular importer, which is something more companies in the UK should look into, I think.

Anyway, at the end of last year this pack of 3 20cl sherry finished drams was released and it arrived around Christmas. The majority of it was sampled for friends, and yesterday I finished my bit. The benefit of not having a lot for yourself is that my shelf is finally getting a little bit more empty, which means there’s more room for either bottles, or board games, or Magic: the Gathering cards.

Ben Nevis 10, 2012-2023, Oloroso Hogshead Finish, 53.7%

This one has had a sherry finish for just under three years, and already it’s as dark as my soul. I’m glad they didn’t use such a cask for a full maturation, because I don’t think it would resemble whisky anymore after a decade or so.

Sniff:
Strangely, the first thing that comes to mind is the tasting room at De Whiskykoning when I smell this. A very old fashioned scent with oak, old carpet and a a not entirely dry area. Humidity in old buildings, and such. There is a hint of chocolate here, but it’s backed up with fruity notes of orange and lemon.

Sip:
The palate is quite gentle at first, but turns dry after about ten seconds. There are notes of milk chocolate, hazelnuts, a dusting of chili pepper, a slight hint of cork (the dryness). It gets a bit more mild after a minute and there are notes of dried fruit and bitterness, with barley and oak.

Swallow:
The finish goes back to fruit, chocolate, chocolate milk. There is a sort of bite remaining that keeps nipping, but in a nice way for the end of the night. Hints of orange, lemon, tangerine.

While the cask definitely rules supreme here, there are some nice notes of citrus fruits that are not uncommon for Ben Nevis. A very drinkable dram, but a bit too much cask influence to score higher than it does.

86/100

(Glen) Ord 15, 2008-2023, Pedro Ximénez Finish, 53.4%

Another one with three years of sherry finishing or ‘Additional Cask Enhancement’ as some distillers call it. This one is a little bit older so there should be a tad more of the spirit distinguishable here. Let’s dive in!

Sniff:
The sherry manifests in a massive nose of chocolate and a hit of espresso. So, mocha. A hint of cherries, dates, plums. Dark, sweet fruits. Interestingly, it’s quite bourbon like. Not bourbon cask, but bourbon itself.

Sip:
The palate arrives with a gentleness, and a strange sense of it being chilled (which it is not). It turns dry and adds some chili pepper as well as dark chocolate, strong coffee, dry oak. It’s very cask driven.

Swallow:
The finish is bone dry with hints of bitter fruit stones, chocolate, walnuts, mocha. Lots of lovely notes with a hint of bitterness to be a bit more interesting.

Again, not much distillery character to be found, but the dram is dangerously drinkable. Even though it’s been bottled at cask strength, it is not a fierce dram at all, although there is some bitterness throughout. That is something I like, though. This one is hard to score because it doesn’t show the distillery at all, but it is a rather tasty thing to quaff. Does drinkabilty make it score higher, or does the lack of ‘interestingness’ make it score a bit lower?

87/100

Caol Ila 11, 2012-2023, Palo Cortado Finish, 52.7%

Interestingly, they opted to go for the shortest finish with the least impactful sherry. That is already quite noticeable from the color. Compared to the other two, this one definitely is pale. Almost bourbon cask pale, you might say.

Sniff:
Even though it is not overly old, it does smell like an older style of Caol Ila. It reminds me of the gentle sherry influence of the official Caol Ila of some 20 years ago when I started getting into whisky. There’s a lot of sweeter smoky notes too. Engine grease, cream, something green not unlike mezcal as well.

Sip:
The palate is quite gentle, but turns rather dry after a few seconds. It’s dry peat, earthy, and shows oak shavings, sawdust, but a hint of metal as well. Iron shavings or something like that. Some sand, salt, straw and barley. The sherry reveals itself in a nutty dryness, almond flour, cherry stones.

Swallow:
The finish is warming and stays dry. Leathery in texture or mouthfeel, and a long finish. The dry notes stay for a long name with oak and barley. Some nuttiness too, much like the palate. Interestingly, the smoke is almost completely gone.

I’m a bit of a sucker for the drier kind of sherries that are used for whisky maturation. I generally keep an eye out for Fino and Manzanilla matured drams, and Palo Cortado is on my radar as well. In this case it leaves a lot more room for the distillery character, and with the trip down memory lane towards the early days of whisky enjoyment, I really enjoyed this one!

88/100