Cardhu is an essential part of the Johnnie Walker recipe. As a single malt it’s mostly popular in Southern Europe where people drink it on ice in a tumbler. That means it’s often overlooked and set aside as an uninteresting brand.
I reviewed Cardhu 18 Year Old around 10 years ago and wasn’t impressed. I heard it improved though, so let’s find out. The whisky ages in bourbon and sherry casks in order to make it harmonious.
Cardhu 18 yo (40%, OB +/- 2023)
Nose: certainly a nice surprise. There’s a pleasant dusty note (dried grass), with roasted hazelnut, orange peels and pears. Toasted wood, even a puff of smoke, along with cake aromas, vanilla and honey. Then some subtle cocoa, aniseed and copper polish as well. Quite interesting.
Mouth: offering more than the ABV suggested. Think caramelized peanuts, toffee and honey. Pears, raisins and oranges, with light herbal notes. Mid-palate some nice hints of sesame seeds and mild oak spice appear. Then it returns to dusty elements, a little pepper and walnuts. Drops of cold coffee and chocolate too.
Finish: fairly short, with light pepper, cocoa and nutty notes until it dies.
Hey, this ain’t bad. Nothing extraordinary, but not something to set aside as a simple blender’s malt either. There’s a nice roundness to it, a more than decent nutty sherry character and a pleasant dusty side. The low ABV is quite tragic – at 46% this could have a very nice daily sipper. Out of stock in most international retailers, but Whiskysite.nl still has some for instance.