Cadenhead's Original Collection Glen Elgin-Glenlivet 13 Years Old is a Speyside single malt distilled at Glen Elgin in 2009 and bottled in 2023. The whiskey is initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 12 years, then finished in Manzanilla sherry casks for just over a year. It's bottled at 46% ABV and sells for around $95.
It’s really enticing with the tart/sweet combo up front, unusually focused candied and fruity flavors, and these leafy and metallic hints in the back to give it some structure. I would not have guessed all this came from a Manzanilla finish…maybe that gave it the less-sweet structure to showcase its candy center? In any case, this one’s a success, and makes me want to seek out more Glen Elgin promptly.
