Cardhu

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Founded

1824

Region

Speyside

Status

Operational

Company

Diageo

Production type

Single Malt

Production capacity

3,400,000 litres per year

Former name

Cardow

Cardhu is a Speyside single malt distillery within the extensive Scotch whisky holdings of Diageo. Although only legally established in 1824, illicit distilling had taken place on the site since John and Helen Cumming acquired it in 1811. The distillery was known as Cardow for the majority of its history, only being renamed in 1981 after its single malt brand.

The distillery was acquired by John Walker & Sons in 1893 and has long-standing associations to the Johnnie Walker blended Scotch brand. So much so, it has always been considered as the blend's Highland home and in 2018 it was selected to be the Speyside base of its four new regional visitor centres.

John Walker & Sons first began bottling single malt under the distillery's original Cardow name in the 1950s, relaunching it as Cardhu in 1965. The standard expression was a 12-year-old, however 5- and 8-year-old versions were available in certain markets as well.

It continued to be marketed by John Walker & Sons until the late 1980s when control of the famous blender's brands was taken over by United Distillers, and subsequently by Diageo. It was under the latter's management in 2002 that the Cardhu brand was controversially switched to being a blended malt (labelled as a Pure Malt) due to concerns about the distillery's capacity to satisfy demand for both it and the Johnnie Walker blends. The change was met with significant industry backlash as Diageo was accused of misleading customers and the now infamous Cardhu Pure Malt was quickly withdrawn after just two years.

The brand returned as a single malt again in 2005 with the launch of a new 12-year-old expression. It remains the flagship bottling of the core range today, supported by a 15-year-old and the non-age statement Amber Rock and Gold Reserve.

Current owner

1997-present

1986-1997

1925-1986

1893-1925

Cardhu Distillery
Knockando
Aberlour
AB38 7RY
Scotland

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