Speyside > Cardhu

John Cumming licensed Cardow distillery in 1824, although he and his wife Helen had already been producing illicit whisky for 13 years. Elizabeth Cumming nicknamed "The Queen of the Whisky Trade" and daughter in law of John Cumming assumed control in 1884 and proceeded to build a new distillery. John Walker & Sons bought the distillery for £20,500 in 1893 and were soon using the malt for their famous Johnnie Walker blend. The name was changed to Cardhu, meaning "Black Rock" in Gaelic, in 1893 but soon changed back to Cardow in 1908. The distillery was expanded and two new stills were added in 1961. The name was changed back to Cardhu once again in 1981. In 2003 Diageo re-launched the 12 year old single malt as a pure malt, after the demand for spirit had outweighed the supply. The new Cardhu 12 year old pure malt that was produced with small amounts of Cardhu spirit and spirit from neighbouring distilleries. This managed to bolster the volume of spirit and so could feed the demand. This was met with protest by the rest of the industry as it was seen as misleading to consumers, many of whom still thought the pure malt was a single malt. Eventually Diageo withdrew the pure malt and re-launched the 12 year old as a single malt in 2005

Whisky Products

Cardhu 12 Year Old
Colour: Golden Honey.
Nose: At full strength, heady, nose prickle, pear drops and tightly integrated heather, resin and sweet honey-nut notes. Enticing. Intriguing. With a little water, still harmonious but less pronounced, allowing some malt-cereal, soft, spicy wood, moorland and faint traces of wood-smoke to appear. Taste: Well balanced, smooth mouthfeel; short punch, sweet and fresh, then a pronounced drying effect.  Enjoyable at any time, with little or no water.
Finish: Quite short. Some lingering sweet smoke in the attractive, drying aftertaste. (Distillers tasting notes)

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