Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey - Duty Free - 1 Litre

Cardhu 12 Year Old – ThekaService

Aged for 12 years, this single malt Scotch whisky earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011.

• Very light and smooth easy-going speyside whisky
• With clean, crisp oak and sweet malt
• Hint of pear drops, sweet and malty
• Cardhu 12yr old received a Silver outstanding award at the 2014 International Wine & Spirits Competition.
• Flavour Notes: Beautiful notes of apples and pears with honey, nuts and sweetness; both sweet and fresh.
• Serve suggestion: Cardhu’s smooth and ‘chewy’ character is ideal with sweet meaty tastes. Try it with delicate air dried hams, notably Pata Negra, Serrano; Parma ham and black figs; seared foie gras and caramelised apples.
• Slow fermentation allows the fruity notes to develop. European and American oak casks are used to create the distillery character.
• Cardhu is a delightful single malt whisky to share with friends before or after a meal.

Product Description

Cardhu comes from one of the oldest of the Speyside distilleries, which have nestled in foothills near the River Spey for 200 years and the Cardhu range is an excellent representation of these Speyside whiskies. Known for its smooth, sweet-natured single malt whisky, the history of Cardhu’s rise to fame is to a large part told in the story of two determined women who were members of the founding family. Helen Cumming, who founded the distillery with her husband in 1811, can fairly be called the first ‘woman of whisky’, and her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, became known as the ‘Queen of the Whisky Trade’ after cleverly exploiting the growing popularity of Scotch whisky in the late 1880s. Elizabeth’s achievements made Cardhu an irresistible acquisition for John Walker & Sons in 1893. The new owners kindly allowed Elizabeth to remain in ‘her hospitable home’ to the delight of local folk, by whom she was highly regarded. The light character of the 12yr old Cardhu is an excellent starting point for anyone starting on their whisky journey.

How to drink Cardhu?

Neat or over ice.

History

During the early 19th century, the British Crown was still recovering from the exorbitant costs of the Napoleonic Wars, and Parliament was tasked with the responsibility of finding new sources of revenue that could support Britain’s European hegemony. In 1823, Parliament passed the Excise Act, which required illegal distilleries throughout Scotland to apply for licensure and levied taxes on any spirits they distilled.

Just one year after the passage of the Excise Act, John and Helen Cummings founded the Cardhu Distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland. In an effort to avoid the taxes levied on distilled spirits by the Excise Act, Helen would disguise the mashing and fermenting of grains at the distillery as bread-making. In addition, while the tax collectors dispatched by the Crown enjoyed the tea and crumpets that she prepared, Helen would raise a red flag on the roof of her barn in order to warn her neighbors that Excise Officers had descended upon the region.

By 1872, the Cummings had passed the distillery on to their daughter, Elizabeth, and by the turn of the century, Cardhu Distillery had earned a reputation as one of Scotland’s finest producers of single malt Scotch whisky. At the same time, Cardhu whisky became an increasingly critical component of Johnnie Walker blended whiskies.

Today, Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky remains one of the few single malts produced by the distillery. The whisky is aged for 12 years in American oak casks, and has an aroma of pears, raisins and dates that give way to harmonious notes of spicy wood, moorland, gentle peat, honey and caramel. The finish, which is well-balanced and fresh, has a touch of sweet vanilla and stone fruits.