Whisky : Cardhu 14 Year 2019 Special Release

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 55%

Cask : Amontillado Sherry Finish

Age : 14 Years

Nose : Citrus, vanilla, and cream. Malt and fruit left the impression of orange gingersnap cookies, digestive biscuits, and rice pudding with orange zest. The malty backbone gave away to waxy fruits with pear slices, custard, and apple blossom.

Palate : Medium-bodied with vanilla, cream, and fruit. The lovely oily butteriness of the mouthfeel brought to mind apple, quince, and passionfruit butter. The tropical vibe continued as more malty notes appeared, fruity orange zest, tangerine pastries, candied mango cookies, and shortbread. Hints of chalk at the end.

Finish :  Lingering semi-dry tropical fruits.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Shortbread Cookie Shop

Notes : The amontillado sherry finish gave this Cardhu a lovely blanket of tropical fruits. Though it was a bit on the sweet side for my taste and a bit hot upfront, there was a lot to love, and the flavor profile on this felt a good deal more complex than the other Cardhu Special Release I tried.

There was a lovely combination of cream, vanilla, and fruit between the nose and palate. While the fruit was a third wheel on the nose, it quickly took over proceedings on the palate. The palate was buttery in texture, and the dram had a lovely mouthfeel. I am not sure I liked the buttery-fruit combination as it left the dram feeling a bit overly sweet at times.

Overall, this Cardhu was a sure candidate for the great bath-time/hot tub drams category, but it might have been a bit heavy to relax with— I thought this was best on the rocks, which is not something I write often. Maybe that makes sense in this case since Cardhu was supposed to be on the primary building blocks behind the Johnnie Walker: White Walker edition, which recommended you put the bottle in the freezer.

Image Credit: malts.com