Cardhu Gold Reserve

When travelling to Italy, I promised my sister in law that I would bring the whisky, only to realise upon arrival that I had completely forgotten them. Since she usually doesn’t like peaty whisky, I decided to sneakily purchase a non smokey dram from my ‘to try’ list, that wasn’t all too expensive. The Cardhu fitted the bill well. The Cardhu Gold Reserve isn’t bad. It’s a bit sharp on the nose though and it really needs a while to loose its punch. After some breath it reveals some apple, toffee and a hint of honey, but still tastes a bit sharp. I read a lot of very positive reviews, and saw some relative high rates, but for me it scores a solid two and a half, perhaps three, stars. Not bad at all, but not an instant favourite.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 05/02/2022 Ankara Burun: Birkaç damla su ile açıldıktan sonra tatlı elma kokusu hissediliyor. Bal ve meşe elmaya eşlik ediyor. Damak: Burunda alınan elmakokusuna genç alkol eşlik ediyor. Bu etki sonucu daha baharatlı bir tat ve kuruluk hissediliyor. Bitiş: tatlı, baharatlı ve kuru bir bitiş. Kısa bitişli. Genel: Hafif meyvemsi ve damakta sıcak his bırakan bir single malt. Kısa bitişli olması sebebiyle buzla içimi daha yavaş içilmesine imkan verebilir. Kısa bitişli olduğunu bilerek yavaş içilmesi alınan zevki arttırır. 83/100

If there is such a thing, this is a session whisky. One of the easiest drinking whiskies I know. First sip is oak, biscuity and mid-sweet (toffee apple sweet rather than sugar). There are some ginger and cinnamon spices on the short finish. From this expression you can tell that Cardhu is a major ingredient to Johnnie Walker blends, but this NAS does have its own character. It’s not a whisky that you’d likely be raving about, but it’s a nice, unassuming and easy to drink dram.

Sweetness, berry, strawberry, low mid pep, perfume fragrance, 2.5 Lightness, sweetness berry note and red fruit remains, very lightr actually and lack complexity, 1.25 Little sustain, oaky, 1 1.5 high pep, berries, sweetness, dryness pear 1.75 much milder taste than the pep would suggest, pleasant and slow crescendo flavor coming slowly , pear, citrus and orange fruits, light oaky 3 mild smokiness, nice smooth orange/cirtus 3

Starzona w tradycyjnych dębowych beczkach których wnętrza poddano działaniu wysokiej temperatury. Nos. Słodki i owocowy , jabłka , morele , winogrona , wanilia , miód , toffi , delikatny imbir . Smak . Owocowy , jabłka , toffi , herbatniki , cynamon, miód i silny dąb. Finisz. Średnio długi , mleczna czekolada , karmel , gorczyca dębu .

77 is a little cruel; I would have given it something in the mid-80s. Ok... it doesn't excite, but it doesn't need to either. Sometimes all you want is a dram that isn't flawed and satisfies. The Gold Reserve does. Applesauce and baked spice on the nose, with wood spices and cinnamon on the palate. For 25€, worth it. Cheers!