| |
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the ramblings
and all the fun
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2025
|
 |
|
| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
October 8, 2025 |
|
  |
WF's Little Duos, today indie Cardhu
We were mainly keen to revisit a Cardhu from Cadenhead’s that we gave a really poor rating to about… fifteen years ago. Independently bottled Cardhus are rare enough to warrant this sort of attempt at rehabilitation (right). But first, a more recent expression, also independently bottled. |
|
Cardhu 10 yo 2013/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL18175, 367 bottles) 
Frankly, this wee taster doesn’t quite know what to expect here, but let’s trust that if DL deemed it worthy of single cask status, they must have had a good reason, so let’s see... Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: if you’re partial to Williams pear eau-de-vie, this one’s squarely for you. And thus, very much for me too, as I’m awfully fond of Williams pear. Beyond that, we find a little custard, vanilla fudge, and sugarcane syrup. Mouth: it’s a touch firmer on the palate, more tutti-frutti as it were, but also sweeter, evoking candied apples and those Haribo jellybeans we do mention from time to time. Other than that, the cask appears to have been even lazier than Gontcharov’s Oblomov. Finish: medium in length, very clean, with malt, apple and lemon all making a fine return. Comments: we’re really quite close to certain Glenfiddichs here. Very pretty stuff, though one has to be comfortable with this rather ‘immature’ style. As for me, I’m quite taken.
SGP:641 - 85 points. |
And so, this infamous Cadenhead that deserves a second chance... |
|
Cardhu (Cardow) 13 yo 1987/2000 (56.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 312 bottles)
With a bit more bottle ageing than the last time... Colour: straw. Nose: well now, we’re back in the nudist territory of that DL style, all apple and pear spirit, though this one’s rather more on the herbal side, with amusing whiffs of gherkin and even curly kale, plus some flint and freshly broken stones. With water: the stones come to the fore, the rest retreating politely. Mouth (neat): blimey, this has blossomed into something lovely, extremely lively and taut, very sharp, bursting with green apples and a few bitter oranges and lemons, then some rather under-ripe berries. With water: excellent! A veritable ode to bottle ageing. Limoncello, orange juice, green apple liqueur, fir honey, chalk. Finish: similar, though a notch more herbal. Hints of absinthe and green pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: well, there we are then!
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
