The second expression we had at Cardhu Distillery, was the18yo. A fancier whisky than the amber rock and the 12yo, this one still feels like something is missing out to be a great single malt. It feels like the whole core range is not mind blowing, and we can talk only about "good" or "very good" whiskies. Bottled at 40%abv.
On the nose; it is near perfection. Plums, new wood, blackberries and raisins. Scottish toffee. Very appealing.
On the palate, it is weak. Raisins; alittle watery. Vanilla. Plums, actually very watery but nice. Slight pepper and honey. Light. Dim.
Aftertaste barely passes the test. A ghostly raisin and blackberry note. New wood, Pepper and sawdust
Overall, this is an 85 dollar 18yo whisky, and tells a lot about it. I am not saying that you should expend big money to have wonderful whiskies; that will actually be a lie. What i am saying is that for a product that has been resting 18 years for you to buy it, it is suspiciously cheap. The reason: it is not that good. It is not bad, nor hideous. It is just "normal". You can have a lot better, younger, whiskies for that price. My score for it is 85 over 100.