Cardhu 14 Year (2021 Special Release)

Not much nose, spicy light wine. Great balance of malt and wine. Light spice fruits. Medium wine spice finish

Today i managed to get my hands on a 2021 Diageo Special release from the distillery that is the heart lf Johnnie Walker, Cardhu. I am not a fond fan of Cardhu, i find it mostly boring and too straightforward. I have had quite a few expressions and i am still waiting to be impressed. This natural cask strength release, was bottled at 55.5%abv and has been finished in red wine casks. On the nose, it is quite aromatic. Grapefruit, impalpable sugar, acetone and a super floral note that is overwhelming. Roses, goosebeeries. Farm fruits, very clean notes here. This is the best aroma i have ever found in a Cardhu so far. There is definitively some spiciness here. Burnt hay. After a second sip? I got chocolate and toffee; hints of lemon. On the palate, this is different from most Cardhus. Red fruits, pineapple; toffee madness.  Dulce de leche. Salted caramel. Very enjoyable. Aftertaste follows the same rythm with a twist. It is like small toffee pieces,  crazy dips lollipop. Salted caramel and acid fruits, very appealing. Overall, this is by far the best Cardhu i have ever had. It is not a life changing experience, but this is definitively better that any other expression i have tasted before. The cask strength and red wine finish has imparted really nice floral and farm fruit notes that are very appealing. My score for it is 92 over 100, scoring 23 points in every criteria.

This is absolutely glorious. The nose is soft and is immediately reminiscent of a ripe mango and rum, and the palate continues this with the addition of orange honey and honeysuckle. The finish is medium and the sweetness lingers as white grape and other tropical fruit notes carry you off into the sunset.

Smells like cake. So nice to drink. Cool on the tongue, a bit of spice at the end. Softer warm finish so good

Fruity acidic floral notes come through heavily on the nose. Lightness stays on palate. Almost citrus and green.

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“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #1 Nose (neat): Light honey, grains, peach, pear, gooseberry, elderflower, marshmallow. There is that floral note which is typical of whiskies that receive red wine cask maturation. Adding water causes the wine cask influence to amplify and over time, and as this sits and rests a dusky floral aroma as of musk-flavoured sweets arises. This musky note eventually becomes the dominant aroma on the nose. Palate: A spiky arrival with orchard fruits and some berries as the main flavour. Marshmallow again in the development together with thinned honey, barley sugar, caramel, vanilla and hot spice. The texture is good but not particularly special. With the addition of water, it becomes more syrupy but also develops bright acidic heat. Finish: Medium. Grainy, citrus. Water turns the finish a touch sour and grassy with black pepper in the aftertaste. An above average whisky but not a great one, at least for my taste. It has a pretty nose combined with a somewhat harsh palate and I much preferred it neat than with water, which tends to amplify all the spiky and hot characteristics. I didn't get around to trying last year's Cardhu Special Release, but I did review the 2019 version here and gave it 80/100. Oh well, the score is slowly improving, I guess. Core range Cardhu expressions at low strength have always seemed rather middle-of-the-road to me with their tame honey and grain profile that works well for a filler malt in blends, but lacks the character required for a really good single malt. This cask-strength expression follows a different path entirely, but I didn't think the journey is rewarding or that the entry price is justified. Apart from completionist set collectors I can’t imagine anyone buying this. A straw poll at the end of the tasting revealed it to be the favourite malt of the night for exactly 0 people. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)

bitter on the palate and aftertaste

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