Another gift to the lounge (yes all the gifts are scotch, don’t make a big stink about it we like scotch – don’t ruin this for us). Anyway this is a Speyside, and of recent memory it’s actually kind of a good Speyside. There is Talisker Storm, but that’s a uniquely well done scotch even for Talisker, not just the Speyside region.
For some reason I can’t pronounce the name of this scotch without doing it the accent of the main character from Brave – not sure why that’s relevant to you, but we like being up-front here. I think though that unlike some previous gifts to the lounge, this is one I will cherish more. Simply put this gives you a pleasing aftertaste, and I can enjoy it on or off ice which is always easier for me to deal with. (I usually end up looking it up in reviews on the site)
What they Say: “Bottle: The Cummings of Cardhu were known for their hospitable nature and their generous spirit. Richly honeyed in taste and elegant in style. Cardhu Single Malt is their abiding legacy.
Box: Cardhu is a soft, smooth Speyside single malt acclaimed for its elegant style and silky texture. Finest malted barley, pure spring water from the Mannoch Hills, slow traditional distilling and skilled maturation in oak all play their part in its creation. To fully savour each generous, honeyed layer of rich and fruity flavour, enjoy from a balloon glass. ”
Taste: 6.5 – At the beginning it’s more like a lowland in it’s light but still peaty flavor.
Aftertaste: 7.0 – Here though it shows the classic signs of a Speyside scotch in it’s complexity and reservation unlike an Islay. It leaves a nice lingering smoke inside your nose as it goes though which I like.
Burn/Smooth: 6.0 – I wouldn’t call it smooth, but it’s not really burning. The warmth is also welcome in this summer rain.
Aroma: 7.0 – That is a near perfect amount of smoke, peat, fragrance, and spice in a smell – but and chide me if I’m wrong – it’s not intoxicating. It ticks all the good boxes, but I don’t feel the need to smell this again and again. I always hate taking points off for x-factor stuff as it feels a little dishonest – but despite the well-balance it is not superb.
Honesty: 7.0 – I’m going to say this – I hope that when I retire, make whiskey, grow old, and die – I hope that years later words like those above are said about me. This does little to wank, and is one of the more humble things I’ve read on a bottle. While I love the shape and everything about the bottle – I’ve never been one for bad pictures/reliefs of a distillery. I understand it, but it feels a bit like what you see on a butter or honey container – not scotch.
Sadly the box then gets a bit too wanky – it starts saying the word honeyed, and asking for glassware
Mixability: 7.0
W/ Rocks: 7.0 – It’s not a major change, but it blends some parts, and opens up others – I do prefer it on ice.
Value: 6.0 – That’s actually a fair price for a 12 year of this level. It was sort of a random buy, but a good one.
Google Shop Average: $43
Website: http://www2.malts.com/index.php/en_us/Our-Whiskies/Cardhu
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 46.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.64 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: (I would like to say that my true reviewer score would have been a 6.75, but we decided to not get that granular early on into the site’s origin despite how hard choosing can been in-between those two half-points). I think the thing overall that I am the most disappointed with here is that it came with a box. We bought it sight-unseen to the bottle, but had I been just given that look, and those words I think this easily might have broken another 2 honesty points, and certainly some reviewer points.
