Blended Scotch Whisky 1998 CA

First of all, iodine, with vanilla pastry, icing. more or less candied red fruits, undergrowth, cinnamon, almonds, sugar balls. White chocolate. On the palate, beautiful balance above all, it's smooth, surprising, still red fruits and a little vanilla, but this time accompanied by lemon. Measured spices, white pepper and nutmeg. Caramel and cashew nuts. Fairly long but not exceptional finish, dried fruits, grapes, figs. Deep earth and chestnuts. Nut. It's quite complex and interesting, you can feel the variety of flavors, but it's well balanced all the same. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2023/10/enigma-1998-blended-scotch-whisky-25-yo.html

A few drops of water and letting it stand for 10 minutes is really necessary with this whisky to conjure up some richer flavours and aromas. On the nose light sweet aromas and you can really smell the unmistakable slightly musty aroma of old barrels...but that's about it. I find the taste rather disappointing. Several whiskies of at least 25 years old come together at a crossroads where I quickly no longer know which way to go. As far as I'm concerned, too many rather flat whiskies have been put together here that together do not manage to form a pact. I want to give the most value to the aftertaste, a few minutes after the last sip I thought I could still taste some of those slightly sweet musty barrels. The sample I drank of this whisky was enough for me

A nicely balanced, subtle blend - not anything mind blowing but well composed. Tastes stronger than its 41.4% ABV. Nose is the best part for me, taste starts off well but then falls a bit flat, although it does have some nice tobacco notes. Aftertaste also has some industrial notes (could be a hint of peat too), together with the tobacco. All in all good quality, especially for the price.

Simply over-aged. I think it is the grain which made this blend over 40%ABV. Still not a bad whisky, but over it's peak. Under-performing for Cadenhead's standards.

Tasty easy to enjoy blend.

Cadenhead have treated us with fine blends before - some even rather excellent. Off course I was more than curious to find how this 25yo Enigma would perform. I find this to be kicking of rather good, I like the mellowness where the age speaks. Raisin mixed with fried banana slices, and American chocolate cookies. Quite nice. Tastewise it starts sweet with caramel, turns towards cocoa powder and herbs candy to finish with orange and a nice dose of nutmeg.

Nose: Complex aroma, lots of fruit, jam, marmalade, imperceptible alcohol, sweet and pleasant, with notes of oak. Taste: Sweet, lots of honey and vanilla, ripe peaches, sweet grapes, and raisins in the background. Finish: Coffee with milk and honey, a touch of raisins and oak, fading very quickly.

The nose is definitely the best part, you can tell the age and nice soft sherry notes. But the grain can no longer hide in the mouth, it is already relatively unpleasant and bitter. The finish is also quite short and unspectacular.

Smell It has something a little raw and boozy about it right away Taste Also something a little boozy here too. May indicate less active barrels Gets a lighter malt flavor over time, but the cask is most reminiscent of bourbon Some bitterness Becomes a little juicier and acquires a somewhat darker sweetness over time A little beeswax Small caraway A bit rough to begin with, but recovered a little bit later

Enigma 25 - soft, creamy, cereal notes. A bit sour on the finish. It definitely has age to it, but not sure I’d say it was 25yo juice if I tried it blind. Tasty enough for the price. Just wish it had a little more weight to it.

Disappointment Enigma means something like 'riddle', with which producer Cadenhead's wants to indicate that the ingredients of this blended malt remain unknown. They are all single malts and they all matured for at least 25 years in refill sherry buts. That yielded almost 6,000 bottles in 2023. Nice balance between notes of sherry-matured malt and grain. By that I mean on the one hand raisins and a handful of nuts and on the other hand a lot of popcorn and varnish. In all honesty the nose is on the light side, but not unpleasant. Especially the notes of old leather can charm me. But this is certainly not great. Don't expect a sherry bomb on the nose, because then you will be disappointed. Ouch! This is just very flat. Bay leaves, stroopwafel and a hint of red fruit, but also a bitterness of walnuts and freshly roasted coffee and burnt caramel. Lightweight, mind you. Not very pronounced. The finish is medium long, but unpronounced. Some vanilla and orange, little more. Enigma? Disappointment, would have been better. Still readily available for around 85 EUR, which is of course a pittance for a 25 year old whisky. But still... I'd rather let this one pass me by. Thanks, Dieter.

The Cadenhead's Enigma Blended Scotch 25 Years is just slightly past it's prime, but much less than I expected.

This may be the best 25-year-old blended scotch I've ever had. Sherry and an old leather chair dominate. Old library books and a pinch of peat come to play here. The finish lingers with the sherry and library books. I loved it and wished I had bought a backup.

Adding water didn't stop it from ending up in the sink.

Bit underwhelming. Its low ABV makes this a little thinner than I was hoping for. You can taste the age but for the price there are a lot more interesting whiskies out there.

Soft nose, light nuttiness and soft oak, hint of furniture polish, orange marmalade, and stewed fruits Gentle entry - juicy, light spices and oak, vanilla Short finish - oak spice, touch of bitter herbs, orange marmalade again It’s tasty and a guy can tell it’s aged, but it’s just simple and easy.

Cadenhead 25-Year-Old Blended Whisky: A Journey Through Time Ah, Cadenhead. The moment the cork pops, memories of old Scottish libraries and the scent of weathered leather flood the senses. It’s like being welcomed into an old friend’s abode. Dried fruits playfully tease the nose, accompanied by that beloved aroma of vanilla and the whispered secrets of oak trees from long ago. Now, for the main act. As the liquid graces the palate, its quarter-century of stories unfold. The smoothness? It’s not just smooth, it’s poetry in motion. None of that rookie fire or young spirit’s tantrum. This is a matured, dignified dram, akin to liquid silk with the wisdom of the ages. But wait, there’s a little mischief in this old-timer. The spices, they’re not in the background; they’re right there, sharing tales of adventures had. A pinch of cinnamon here, a whisper of nutmeg there, and just that tiny tickle of pepper to remind you that this whisky’s still got a bit of a kick. In the grand tapestry of whiskies, this Cadenhead 25-year-old isn’t just another thread. It’s a standout, a testament to the beauty of time, patience, and craftsmanship. A dram not just to sip, but to converse with. Cheers to the liquid gold!

Takes a lot of time to open, sweetness comes through again and again, quite intense for the alcohol. Holds up well in the finish

84/85/83/84

I bought the bottle because I'm a big fan of Cadenheads, and the price (around 70 euros) seemed very good. I've tried it several times over the past few months, and I can say that the nose has improved. I would describe it as a strange but very enjoyable whisky. For its price, I think it's a good and unusual option. Great work Cadenheads.

Elegant and delicious. A touch too weak on the chest. 82 points.

The nose and palate certainly show the age and the alcohol is completely gone, but the whole is not round and therefore less pleasant.

This is an outlier blend with a 'street cred' name presenting semi sour apricot mucilege, among other distinctly odd notes. Flawed? Unbalanced, but unvindicated. I considered scoring this lower, but its drinkable neat. Likely better in the appropriate cocktail. Thanks, jerry_vcmg! Not as much of a fan, here, of the latter body and finish, but it begins well! I can see this B & F as cravable to some, so its hard to completely 'dress it down.' One day, I will break it down for a more balanced score. It's undeniably peculiar. Until then, this is not one that I'd purchase unless for a "trick or treat" bottling. Looking forward to Cadenheads other and upcoming blends, which may include a future and more refined Enigma 25 y.o. 78-82, so I split the difference. Still above average.

I think this one snuck through as what Cadenhead's had left over in terms of ABV of 41.4% to qualify as Scotch for legal purposes. And I'm being generous in my evaluation. Tasted again October 2026. My original thoughts hold. Kind of blah. Apparently I'm not alone in my negative evaluation.

On the nose, I detect notes of unripe peaches, walnuts, cotton candy, and rock candy. There are also hints of old nutmeg, peanut butter, toffee, and the smell of railway sleepers. Additionally, I sense the aroma of sweet honeycomb, crackers, and oat cakes. There are also undertones of burnt black coffee and chocolate cake. Upon tasting, flavours of resin, sawdust, sweet honeycomb, and autumnal notes. Despite its age, there is a lightness in some places. I also detect the taste of a wooden school ruler, ginger loaf, chocolate, and maple syrup. This could be a remnant of the Creations era or a blend from another corporation - belief is its Edrington. The flavour is predominantly wood-oriented with sporadic moments of intrigue. While it is evident that its peak has passed, it disrupts the norm in an era of heavy wood finishes - I'll enjoy exploring a full bottle and unlocking more mysteries.

Delicious to start with whatever (tasting, weekend, holidays...), more critically, bordering on harmless. In any case, I'm looking for 25 years of maturation here in vain. Not bad, but not really convincing either.

Sniff: For a modern whisky there is quite an old fashioned approach happening here. Some old bottle effect and some soil and metallic notes. Apples, minerals and slate too. A bit of a funky note of barley. Surprisingly few notes of wood after a quarter century. Sip: The palate isn't fierce with a lot of alcohol, but there is definitely some intensity to it. Even though it's only 41.4%. There are notes of pepper, sawdust, iron shavings. Some copper too, and dry barley. Quite dry in general. The note of minerals is here too, some iron and slate. Swallow: The finish punches above it's ABV too, and lingers nicely. The old bottle effect, which now starts to translate to iron and slate now, is back

It presents a great imitation of old-school sherry malt! Unfortunately the taste can't keep up the aroma, but it's still a great daily sipper.