Cardhu Distillery
Aberlour
History: The Cardhu distillery (or Cardow as it was known back then) was officially opened in 1824 by John and Helen Cumming. However, the couple had, illegally, been plying their trade since 1811 on their farm as illicit distillers. The excise act of 1823 meant that they could make money from making whisky so they decided to go legit. The distillery stayed in the family for some time with daughter-in-law Elizabeth and son Lewis Cumming running the business and expanding its output for many years. The distillery was purchased in 1893 by a small company which went by the name of John Walker and Sons Ltd (later to become the world's largest whisky brand, Johnnie Walker). In 1925 the merger of several large whisky brands would create what we know today as Diageo, the world's biggest spirit company, who still own Cardhu today.
The whisky: I have a bit of a soft spot for Cardhu due to its easy-drinking and sweet flavour profile. It is a real crowd-pleaser and perfect for folks who are just getting into single malt whisky. The company have also tried where possible to keep the age statements on all their products.
Favourite tipple: You can pick up the 12-year-old for around £37 and because you don’t really see it anywhere here it makes a great gift and the recipients will definitely not be disappointed with what they find inside. If you are looking for something a bit more special, then splash out on the 18-year-old, which is basically a ramped-up version of the 12 with more deep chocolate notes and complex flavour. This will set you back around £78.
Why visit? The distillery is located in “malt whisky country”, better known as Speyside, home to over half the distilleries in Scotland. It is a fantastic place to visit if you are remotely interested in whisky as you can easily visit several distilleries in one day. A great time to visit is during the Speyside whisky festival which will run from May 3-7 next year. The visitor centre is open most of the year and offers a great tour, showing what goes into the production of the single malt. The basic £5 tour lasts around 45 minutes, and there's a more comprehensive tour called the "Collection" tour which lasts 75 minutes and entitles you to six whisky tastings and a souvenir glass to take home.
Geek alert: You don't really see Cardhu in the UK, except in whisky bars and some retailers It is however the biggest selling single malt whisky in Spain, with its soft, sweet character the perfect match for the warm climate.
Interesting fact: Back before John and Helen Cumming were legal distillers, the legend has it their farm was one of the first ports of call for the gaugers (whisky tax police).Helen would welcome them before running out to raise a red flag that would warn the other illicit distillers that the gaugers were on their way.
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