Cardhu Distillery

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General
Pronunciation car’doo Pronunciation
Translation Black Rock
Region Highlands / Speyside
Distiller United Malt & Grain Distillers Ltd. (UMGD)
Owner United Distillers & Vintners (UDV) (Diageo plc)
Address Knockando
Moray
AB38 7RY
Scotland
Telephone +44 (0)1340 - 87 25 55
+44 (0)1340 - 87 25 56 (Fax)
LatLong 57° 28’ 14.9” N   03° 20’ 56.6” W
Altitude 197 m
Grid Reference NJ191430
Website www.discovering-distilleries.com
E-mail
Open to public January - Easter : mo - fr 11:00 - 15:00 (tours at 11:00, 13:00 and 14:00)
Easter - June : mo - fr 10:00 - 17:00
July - September : mo - sa 10:00 - 17:00, su 12:00 - 16:00
October - December : mo - fr 11:00 - 15:00 (tours at 11:00, 13:00 and 14:00)
Closed between Christmas and New Year
Last admission 1 hour before closing time
Admission chargedSource : Discovering Distilleries 2008 leaflet
Remarks
Used in Johnnie Walker

History
1811
John Cumming leased the site and went into illicit distilling
1824
John Cumming got a licence and built the Cardow Distillery. Before that he got convicted three times of unlicensed distilling
1839
John Cumming died and let the farm to his son Lewis Cumming (1846 mentioned as well)
1872
Lewis Cumming died leaving the farm and distillery to his wife Elizabeth Cumming. She became known as the "Queen of the Whisky Trade" due to her work at the distillery for nearly twenty years
1884
Elizabeth leased another four acres (1.6 hectares) of land adjacent to the farm and built a new distillery capable of producing 60,000 gallons (over 270,000 litres) annually to take advantage of the vast popularity of the "Glenlivets", as the Speyside malts were named, for blending (1886 mentioned as well)
1887
Distillery extended
by 1888
The malt produced was sold in London as "Cardow". This popularity didn’t stay unnoticed and several take-over bids were turned down by Elizabeth because she wanted the Distillery to be retained by the family
1893
Elizabeth negogiated a deal with John Walker & Sons Ltd. of Kilmarnock, Cardhu’s major customer. Her son John Cumming became a salaried director of John Walker & Sons Ltd. while remaining at Cardhu Distillery. John Walker & Sons Ltd. then bottled Cardhu as Old Vatted Cardhu, and as Cardow from 1908
1897
John Walker & Sons Ltd., Kilmarnock expanded output
1923
John Cumming retired from the board and succeeded by his son Ronald Cumming
1925
Merged with the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL)
1930
Transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. (SMD)
during WWII
All of the production went into the Johnnie Walker brands
1960-61
Rebuilt when extended from four to six stills
1960s
Cardhu is reintroduced as a single malt
1971
Stills became steamheated
1975
Name changed to Cardhu and licensed to John Walker & Sons Ltd., Kilmarnock
1992
Licensed to United Malt & Grain Distillers Ltd. (UMGD)
1999
Owned by United Distillers & Vintners Ltd. (UDV)
....
Renamed to Cardhu Distillery as the distillery began to promote a bottled single malt
....
Renamed to Cardow Distillery as the distillery changed the Cardhu single malt to a vatted malt

Technical Specifications
General Water Source
for production from different sources in the Mannoch Hills as well as from the Lyne Burn, piped to distillery and stored until it is used, for cooling rainwater from the Mannoch Hills and the Lyne Burn, stored in a little lake behind the distillery
  Annual Output
  Finished Spirit (phenols)
  Blending Roles
single malt and blends (the heart of Johnnie Walker Red, Black, Gren and Blue Label)
Malt Malt Source
  Malt Type
  Malt Specification (phenols)
  Own Malting Floor
  Malt Storage
Mill
  Grist Storage
Mashing Mash Tun
  Mash Size
  First Water
  Second Water
  Third Water
  Fourth Water
Fermentation Washbacks 8 made of Scandinavian Larch
  Washback Charge
  Yeast
  Amount of Yeast
  Length of Fermentation
  Initial Fermentation Temp.
  Strength of Wash
Distillation Wash Stills 3
  Wash Still Built
  Wash Still Charge
  Heat Source steamheated
  Wash Still Height
  Lyne Arm
  Low Wines Run
  Low Wines Collection Range
  Spirit Stills
3
  Spirit Still Built
  Spirit Still Charge
  Strength of Spirit Still Charge
  Heat Source steamheated
  Spirit Still Height
  Lyne Arm
  Coolers
  Foreshot Run
  Spirit Run
  Feints Run
  Spirit Cut
  Distilling Strength
Storage Storage Strength
  Average Spirit Yield
  Disposal of Pot Ale/Spent Lees
  Type of Casks refill only
  Warehouses
  Vatting and Bottling Location



Sources used