Cardhu Distillery

Before Cardhu meant anything to whisky fans, Helen Cumming was making spirit on the family farm - long before it was legal, and definitely before anyone was paying attention. In 1824, she decided it was time to come out of the shadows, got herself a licence, and kicked off a story that would see Cardhu shaped by women for two generations. Not many distilleries in Scotland can say the same.Helen and her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, ran Cardhu through most of the 1800s - no small feat in an industry where women rarely got credit. Elizabeth took things to the next level, rebuilding the place in 1884 and turning it into a proper business. When she sold Cardhu to John Walker & Sons in 1893, it became the very first distillery to officially supply the folks behind Johnnie Walker. That’s a bit of whisky history right there.You’ll find Cardhu right on Speyside’s Whisky Road, and it’s an easy stop if you’re touring the area. There’s something about the Cumming women’s legacy that sticks with you - it’s part of what makes a visit here more than just another distillery tour. The single malt? Classic Speyside: light, smooth, a hint of sweetness and a touch of floral. It’s the sort of dram you remember.