Cardhu 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky Review:

If any distillery comes to mind when I think of my trip to Scotland with my wife it’s Cardhu. Situated in a cluster of five distilleries, right off the River Spey, Cardhu sits high above the glen in which the other four linger. One of the most beautiful and easily accessible locations in Speyside, Cardhu surprisingly receives fewer visitors than the hard to reach Talisker on the outer reaches of the Isle of Skye. Nonetheless, Cardhu is still Diageo’s best selling single malt (with Talisker right behind) where the designation is upheld by the Spanish market. Yet, unlike Talisker, or any of Diageo’s distilleries, the historical significance and the designation of Cardhu as the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker makes it a completely unique experience. Located under one of the twin pagodas, where malting used to take place, is a special room(s) dedicated to everything Johnnie Walker – a place to impress the who’s who of the whisky world. Even though it is closed to the general public, the reputation of the bed and breakfast my wife and I were working at allowed us the privilege of venturing inside.

However, I couldn't say I was dazzled or impressed with a sense of, "I'm being let in on a Johnnie Walker secret," or anything like that. The place did have lovely interior and there was one room which was a sort of library/museum for JW that had a fire place which looked comfy enough to snuggle up to with a nice dram, but we unfortunately didn't get offered any samples – free samples being quite the common occurrence everywhere else (or at least included in most tours). Either way I digress. The time spent at the distillery and the Johnnie Walker House next-door was all worth it and it will be a cherished memory. Not to mention the farm of highland cows feeding near the entrance. Sooo, what about the review:

Cardhu 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky Review:

Price: Around $45.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: A unique bottle to say the least, but I love the large cork stopper.

Alcoholic Content: 40% abv, 80 proof.

Nose:  A balanced nose of sweet and substantial smoked green apple, overripe pear, and lemon zest. Malty grain and damp oak.

Palate: Gentle sweet/dry malt, not an overly sweet palate such as Aberlour. This is syrupy. The peat is pleasant, almost non-existent – Leaves you with a dry lingering peat. As time passed some of that dark fruit and wood begin to come through – so pour it early and let it develop.

Conclusion: Without getting into the discussion of Cardhu's mishaps a few years ago when they began blending their main label, the single malt version has made quite the comeback. This is an everyday dram. It is not overly complex, nor is it boring. You will know what you are getting every time. I would suggest this as something to start the evening with. It won’t blow your taste buds away but it will always be pleasing. Add one single drop of water and it will brighten up the nose and palate beautifully.

 How better to end a blog post with a real highland cow! I cleverly named him Johnnie.

Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky Review:

She drank Canadian whiskey

Pure blended whiskey

She drank it like wine

Her eyes were the color of Canadian whiskey

Pure blended whiskey

So light brown and fine

- Tom Russell, Canadian Whiskey

I’ve had many requests on particular whiskies people want to see on this blog and I have to say, for some reason, Pendleton is one of the main requests I receive. Maybe the fact that I had been living in Oregon for sometime has something to do with it? I also find there is some sort of religious devotion to the whole drink – whole families will swear by it. You'll just have to decide for yourself whether it is worth the all commotion. 

Pendleton is produced by Hood River Distillers using “glacier water” from Mt. Hood, which is distilled in Canada, and then brought back past country lines to Oregon where it is be bottled. Being distilled in Canada it is appropriately branded as a Canadian whisky. The first thing that I would say about that is that it seems to be a bit much just to make whisky. Yes, I said it. The transportation of the water and distillate past state and country lines seems excessive, and I am never very much a fan of something so unsustainable and not, “of its place.” That being said, I am not making a huge issue of this. And for those who will get up in arms that I even hint any whisky making process as excessive, I don’t apologize. Fresh water is great – but don’t they have any good water up in the untamed land of Canada? Just a thought. So, now that we can move past that, let us turn to the actual whiskey:

Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky Review:

Price: Around $23.99 for a 750ml bottle. Can’t beat that price.

Packaging/Labeling: The bottle is nicely stylized – it is shooting for a very distinct market.

Alcohol Content: 40% abv, 80 proof – typical Canadians.

Nose: At 80 proof I am surprised at the phenolic introduction, even after the bottle is half gone and allowing time for it to sit at least 10-15 minutes. Smells young and green. New-make on the nose. Unripe lime, lemon, and sour Lemonhead candy. Lime slushy. Not as sweet as I was expecting on the nose.

Palate: The palate is much different than the nose with a creamy Werthers’ and honey arrival. I get a delicate mint and floral note with beach wood and leather expanding into light smoke. There is a hint of buttery rye on the finish. Undemanding, and polite. 

Conclusion: This is a whisky which exceeds that of many Canadian whiskies produced. As John Hansel has said, most Canadian whiskies are too harsh when they are young, but they tend to get too woody when they are aged more than ten years. While the nose is somewhat off, as my wife says, “Smells like hairspray, taste like vanilla,” the age and drinkability allows Pendleton to break away from the mold.  

I do have to say something about their target market: with a label that states, “Let 'er buck!” and being that it is produced in Oregon (/Canada), can we at least up the abv a little bit? But hey, maybe today’s cowboys are a bit more sensitive than they use to be? We know that Canadian whisky is generally going to be a light style of whiskey, but I believe that Pendleton is the perfect agent for changing some views to the betterment of the style by presenting their brand as a true craft product. Mildly recommended.

El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum Review:

“RUM, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.” 

– Ambrose Bierce

Historically when people think of rum it tends to conjure up images of the high seas and swashbuckling pirates. No doubt that aspect of history is very interesting yet what interest me even more is how rum has effected American history. It could be argued that rum is the most American of all spirits. The colonists were sure drinking much more of it than anyone (or anything) else at the time of the revolution. Estimated rum consumption before the Revolution had every man, woman, and child drinking up to 3 Imperial Gallons of the stuff a year. One can only surmise that women and children were definitely at the lower end of the consumption spectrum. And it was rum, not whiskey, which George Washington persisted on serving at his 1789 inauguration. The decline of rum is much more of a debated story to be told another time, but my point of this whole speech is that a rum review sits very snugly with a blog dedicated to the “Native Spirit” of America.

As this is a whiskey blog, with a focus on Bourbon, I have not yet heavily featured other spirits. Rum is one of those categories in which I feel can openly admit my naivety. And truth be told I have never been taken by rum (until recently). It’s always been a bit too sweet. But I believe it’s always good to push oneself to try new things and expand ones palate. I don’t doubt that in time I will eventually come to love every variation of the spirit.

With a history of over 300 years and the use of wooden continuous coffey and Pot stills, El Dorado 15, from Demerara Distillers, seemed to me to be the perfect introduction to rum on this blog. Like most rum produced in the world, El Dorado 15 is a blend of multiple ages and styles produced at the distillery (15 years signifying there is nothing younger than 15 year old rum in the bottle – and possibly there is a variation of up to 25 year old rums). Due to their relative isolation, Demerara, like most rum distilleries, have multiple stills in which they produce various characteristics that will ultimately be blended into the final product. Of the three stills running at the distillery, they use a wooden coffrey still, a wooden pot still (both of which are the last working wooden stills of their kind), and a French Savalle Still. All the rum is aged in oak barrels.

El Dorado 15 Year Old Rum Review: 

Price: Around $37.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Beautiful bottle besides the plastic cork top and plastic wax symbol. 

Alcohol Content: 40% abv, 80 proof. 

Nose: Sweet almond, honey, brown sugar, marzipan and banana, Dry autumn leaves. Beach sand.

Palate: Robust yet evenly distributed and light on the tongue. Creamy honey and butter cream pie. There is Demerara smoke with hints of smooth coffee that trail off into a lightly sweet caramel banana note. The wood is reminiscent of a heavily oaked bourbon such as Makers 46 or Knob Creek, but without the harsher tannins. 

Conclusion: This is dangerously easy drinking. I went through three glasses of this stuff without even blinking. I wouldn’t suggest this as a mixer, and to be clear, that is never the intention of reviewing any of these spirits on this blog. Drink this neat – ice is really not necessary unless your sipping this on a beach somewhere. This is a highly recommended benchmark rum.