Cardhu marks 200 years with limited edition bottling

Speyside distillery Cardhu has debuted a 12-year-old single malt to celebrate both its 200th anniversary and International Women’s Day.

The Diageo-owned brand will host a free event today (8 March), called ‘A Celebration Of Cardhu's Pioneering Women’. The event will feature a guided tasting of the new whisky, which is available only at the distillery and in selected international markets. The event will also feature a panel, a cocktail masterclass and live music. On the panel are Diageo whisky specialist Eve Murphy, Cardhu distillery manager Roselyn Burnett and Diageo archivist Jo McKerchar. With the whisky said to be inspired by Cardhu’s ‘original female pioneers’, Helen and Elizabeth Cumming, the packaging also features an image of Helen waving a red flag, which she used to signal for neighbours to hide their illicit stills from the approaching authorities. Murphy said: “The team at Cardhu and I have worked hard to make the 200-year anniversary bottle something that speaks to the inspiring example that Helen and Elizabeth set two centuries ago. “Never afraid to test boundaries, the women who were, and remain a huge part of Cardhu have once again achieved something special with this beautiful red wine cask edition.” The expression is the first from the distillery to have been matured exclusively in ex-wine casks, which provide ‘fresh berries and blackcurrants’ on the nose, while the palate offers ‘cinnamon spice, demerara sugar and dark chocolate’. Bottled at 40% ABV, it will retail for £58 (US$74). Burnett said: “Cardhu has a history of pioneering women at its forefront, something unheard of when the distillery began 200 years ago. “It took innovation and courage to go against the grain in the way the Cumming family did, and with this in our heritage it was only right we did something bold to celebrate such an anniversary. “As a perfect example of the Speyside style of whisky, it was exciting to work with our blending and distilling experts to create an adapted iteration of what people expect from our distillery, while perfecting the liquid to ensure it retains those classic notes which people look for from Cardhu. “As one of the few places in the world to stock this limited release, we’re looking forward to welcoming guests who have made the journey to visit us and buy a bottle, be that from Elgin or Ecuador.”