Cardow 100% Pot Still - John Walker & Sons - 1960s

INFORMATION

Cardow 100% Pot Still . Bottled 1960s by John Walker & Sons. No capacity stated although equal to 75cl. 70 Proof.

An incredibly rare old bottle of 100% Pot Still Cardow Highland Malt Scotch Whisky that rarely sees the light of day at auction. Cardow is the former name of Cardhu and was used between the 1950s to approximately 1965. Cardow/Cardhu bottled during this period is almost impossible to find. The nearest example I can think of is a run of official 8-year-olds that first appeared in 1965 and even those turn up once in a blue moon.

DISTILLERY:Cardhu

DISTILLERY STATUS:Working

Bottle ABV:70 Proof

Bottle SIZE:NA

BOTTLER:Distillery Bottling

SPIRIT TYPE:Scotland

CASK TYPE:Single Malt

REGION:Speyside

BOTTLING DATE::1960s

Founded in 1824, the Cardhu distillery in Speyside was purchased by John Walker & Sons in 1893 and has been associated with the Johnnie Walker brand ever since. John Walker & Sons was assimilated into Diageo forerunner DCL in 1925, and Cardhu’s importance led to the distillery being rebuilt and expanded to six stills in 1960. The distillery’s name was anglicised to Cardow in 1908 but reverted to Cardhu for official bottlings in the 1960s. 

As well as being a keystone whisky for Johnnie Walker, Cardhu has long been officially bottled as a single malt whisky in its own right, with the tall bottle 12-year-old official Cardhus from the 1960s and 1970s highly sought after. Long-aged official Cardhus appeared in the 1990s and early 2000s as Rare Malts Editions and early Diageo Special Releases. Independent Cardhu is rare but Cadenhead’s, Signatory and the SMWS have all released excellent old vintages.