Cardhu 16 Year Old Four Corners Of Scotland 58.2%

Nose: The lively, fresh and floral aroma yields grassy top notes with ripe orchard fruits and a trace of vanilla, on light balsa wood base. 

Palate: The taste starts sweet, then there is a delicious spicy dryness as really peppery warmth lasts into the long finish. Adding a good dash of water calms this and brings out sweet, light juiciness. 

Finish: The finish remains pleasingly long; sweet chilli-pepper heat lingers on the aftertaste.

Cardu is an attractive Speyside distillery sited on the banks of the river Spey near Archiestown, Moray in Scotland. The distillery was founded by John and Helen Cummings in 1811 and production became legal in 1824. After John Cummings passed away in 1846 his wife Helen then took sole charge. Their daughter Elizabeth eventually followed in their footsteps to run and rebuilt the distillery until it was bought in the late 1800’s by John Walker and son. Then in 1930 Cardhu was sold to Distillers Company Ltd. A statue of Helen outside the distillery installed by current owners Diageo pays homage to all her efforts.

The majority of Cardhu whisky is used in the famous Johnnie Walker blend and a much smaller proportion is sold as Cardhu single malt. Interestingly to keep up with such high demand for its own whisky Cardhu ‘Pure Malt’ was created which was a vatting of single malts from both Cardhu and other distilleries. In 2004 the making of ‘Pure Malt’ ceased and a year later a 12 year old Cardhu was brought to market instead. There is a great core range consisting of three age statements and one none age statement. There are also various popular limited releases appearing to look out for.

Discover more great Speyside Whisky here