Cardhu 18 Year

I won this bottle at auction a few months back and decided it was time to open it. The Cardhu 18 is a UK exclusive that goes for around $75-80. My winning bid was about $60 after the exchange rate. Add on 10% fees plus shipping and I’d say that I paid close to UK retail. Let’s see what’s under the hood of this Speyside single malt. Bottled at 40% ABV, is chill filtered and has colorant added making it an amber honey color. The nose has lots of honey, some citrus and is malty. Tangerine marmalade, peaches, grapes and some light apples. Predominantly sherry notes, but there also seems to be some bourbon maturation as well. Brown sugar, caramel, buttered toast. Coffee or mocha, toffee, maple. Nutty - Brazil nuts, hazelnut, nutmeg, ginger and anise. Floral, grassy and perfumed, green oak at times. For a moment there was a super sweet/fruity note like Skittles or Fruity Pebbles. The palate starts with oranges and tangerines and honey. Very malty, but more of a dark roasted malt akin to that used in a stout beer. Vanilla cream, anise, butterscotch. Oak tannins, dark chocolate, salted caramels. Faint mint, sherry, but more of a dark and juicy sherry rather than a sweet and fruity sherry. Green grapes and a gentle touch of wood smoke. Some wood spice, but it’s overall a mild and very drinkable whisky. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and lightly oily, dry. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate malt, honey and is dry. Looking back at my notes on the 12 year old, which is about $35 less in the UK market (I paid $60 here in Michigan), they seem to stack up fairly evenly. Honey, citrus and chocolate malt seem to be the Cardhu house profile. This 18 isn’t bad, but why pay more for what equates to a slightly darker and deeper version of the 12? Not a great scotch, but it’s got the complexity where it counts and is not overly expensive. For that I give it a 3.75. Cheers

This was sent as a blind tasting challenge by my motor city buddy @Generously_Paul. He sent 5 samples. I guessed 3 right, and named one precisely as Yamazaki Distiller ( the sandalwood aroma gave it away). I’m not a huge fan of Cardhu, but maybe that’s just me, considering the entire county of Spain loves this as their favorite single malt. I forget the notes at this point...was good, but not good enough to buy a bottle. Good enough to have at a hotel bar. Thanks Paul !

Thanks to a blind tasting flight challenge sent to me by @Generously_Paul I was able to sample this 18yo malt from Cardhu. I don’t have the typical notes I like to take as I was more tuned in towards trying to identify the differences between 5 different whiskies and spirits. What I did notice about this one was how harsh it was for being aged for quite a long time. I remember some great sherry notes and not a lot of heat, but I’m inclined to think that the quality of the casks used here was a bit lacking. That said, I’d give this a middle of the road score of 3 stars and I’d be happy to revisit it later on and put it through its proper paces if I can land another pour somewhere down the road. Thanks again, Paul. The challenge was a blast. Cheers.

with Josef. Slightly harsh, not as interesting as Islay's

braungold. fruchtig süß, sherrynoten, mild. mild holzig leicht Haselnuss lecker. leichte Säure und süße