Cardhu – Gaelic for “black rock” – was founded in the early 1800s by John Cumming, then a distiller of illicit whisky. The proximity of the river Spey was ideal for a distillery, and the surrounding hills offered a hide-out in case of raids by excise officials. Such unwanted visits were frequent, though John’s wife, Helen, was on hand to help: she would invite their visitors for dinner, raising a red flag behind the barn as a warning to her husband of their presence. In 1824, after the promulgation of the Excise Act, John purchased a licence to legally produce his whisky; in 1876, his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, started developing the distillery into a successful commercial venture.

In 1893 John Walker & Sons purchased the distillery. It was the first malt distillery owned by the Walker family and still contributes a good deal of malt to the Johnnie Walker blend. Nevertheless, the single malt bottlings are also widely available and the style is extremely approachable, with light and floral aromas leading to a medium-bodied palate with malty and sweet flavours.

Around 30% of the production is sold as single malt bottlings; the remainder is used to produce blends, most significantly Johnnie Walker’s Red, Black, Green and Blue labels.

(Adapted from the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2024)