Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 58%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon refill and recharred, ex-Rum
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Diageo
Average price: € 190.00
Official website: www.malts.com
Vote: 84/100
Another stage in Diageo’s 2022 Special Releases, in an almost regular fixture at the Speyside distillery, which increases the ageing time from year to year.
The peculiarity of this release is the finishing in ex-Jamaican rum pot still casks (seasoned, ça va sans dir), definitely a unique maturation for Cardhu.
As for the picturesque bird on the label, legend has it that one day the ancient black rock beneath Cardhu cracked, releasing great heat from within, unleashing a tropical paradise where, presumably, the friendly parrot had their home. The biting wind turned into a gentle breeze and the lush aromas of passion flower and pineapple danced between the distillery and its grounds, enveloping everything it touched with a rare and exotic quality. At midnight, the abyss closed, falling silent again forever, and only the vibrant whisky distilled that day remained to tell the tale.
We’ll see what this unprecedented edition is like for a distillery that is not exactly in the forefront of the whisky stage.
Tasting notes
The entrance to the nose is initially pungent, not so much because of the alcohol (which has a notable but defiladed alcohol content) but because of the notes of brown sugar and molasses with a light coat of varnish, therefore the rum rinse has done its job. But that’s only the beginning, because it soon rounds out and brings to the fore soft toffee, vanilla, malted biscuits, a handful of fruit (coconut, apple, plum) and a hint of cinnamon, all united by a mineral afflatus. The whole is never distinctly sweet but always remains suspended between the two souls, a pleasant and enjoyable contrast.
The palate confirms the influence of the Jamaican casks, albeit with less persistence, while a clear vegetal component appears, which, combined with citrus vibrations, shifts the centre of gravity towards fruit in its freshest and most pungent guise: apple, pineapple, peach, unripe plum and banana. The sweet, rounded part is relegated to the role of extra, the flavours become sharper with the mineral note more heated and pulses of coffee and almonds in the background. A little wood peeps through the length.
The finish is medium-long and very vegetal, with citrus, fruit, almonds and coffee dominating.
A truly excellent and intriguing nose that is a little lost on drinking, but is nonetheless effective in offering a different interpretation of a versatile malt that is also capable of surprising. One step away from amazement.