Cardhu 14 Years Old

An official release of Cardhu, a 14 year old, at 55%, 4872 bottles in all. Cardhu was founded in 1824 by John and Helen Cumming on Speyside's Mannoch Hill. It runs three wash and three spirit stills, all of a pear shape.

It was run through the distillery's pear shaped stills on Mannoch Hill water, for the soft, sweet make Cardhu is known for. An Amontillado cask gave a dry, nutty, almond edge. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body softer and creamier. A gentle maturation suits the soft make, the fruit growing richer with time. Years in oak round the spirit, the apple and pear deepening to honey. The soft, sweet spirit takes cask flavour gently while keeping its pear and honey. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. It was rebuilt and expanded by Elizabeth Cumming, the Queen of the Whisky Trade, who sold it to John Walker and Sons in 1893.

At its natural 55% it is concentrated. Apple, pear and a soft vanilla, with a dry, nutty, almond edge from the cask. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft honey. The finish is rounded, honeyed and gentle. This is Cardhu's gentle, honeyed Speyside style.