Cardhu 16 Year Old (Special Release 2022) Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Other reviews... This Jamaican rum-finished Cardhu has a nose dominated by grapefruit flesh, with white pepper, ripening mango, zested lime, clementine peel, and grilled pineapple. The palate has bitter citrus and grapefruit acidity, pepper, clove, and a belligerent rush of cask-strength alcohol that cries out to be quelled with water. Once subdued, the rum sweetness shines alongside flavors of dried mango, green banana, vanilla, and aniseed. 86 points - whiskyadvocate.com

...More of this year's very esoteric and lavishly illustrated Special Releases. This one matured in refill American oak and was then finished in Jamaican rum. They've also filled some of those very lovely 20cl bottles, as they did in the past with some Port Ellens and some… Loch Dhu. And the Classic Malts, naturally. No, nothing to do with shrinkflation. Colour: white wine. Nose: a little fruity glue at first, or nail polish, with some peach and strawberry syrups, then indeed a few tropical fruits from the rum, mostly pineapples, as well as fresh raisin rolls. This was finished in Jamaican pot-still rum but I'm not fining anything really 'funky'. Probably not what they would have tried to come up with in the first place. With water: perhaps, indeed, a little olive oil, which would make the texture rather a little thicker on the nose. Some good folks are making chocolate using olive oil, which I find rather good too. Nice nose, nonetheless. Mouth (neat): really to my liking, rather spicy but more malt whisky than rumsky, if you see what I mean. It's just a little hot. More raisin rolls. With water: the rum's influence got more obvious, with more pineapple, a little more olive oil, Juicy Fruit… Finish: medium, on allspice, honey and, perhaps, papaya ice cream. A touch of viognier too but indeed, viognier can get very tropical. A wee salty smokiness in the aftertaste. Comments: you could argue that we need no one's help to make our own rumskies (try 85% young Highland Park or Clynelish with 15% young Hampden or Worthy Park, for example) but it's good. Wat's more, I don't think 'Cardhu needs rum' was the message in the first place, was it? 85 points - whiskyfun.com