The Speyside home of Johnnie Walker tells the story of Helen and Elizabeth Cumming, who pioneered and refined the flavors of Cardhu.

Whisky is often associated with being a man&rsquo;s drink. But for Johnnie Walker, nothing could be further from the truth.&nbsp;
Today, many women lead Johnnie Walker, including Master Blender Emma Walker and Global Brand Director Julie Bramham. Earlier this year, Johnnie Walker&rsquo;s parent company Diageo also appointed its first woman CEO Debra Crew. They also collaborate with women artists, like designer Angel Chen who created a special Lunar New Year bottle design for Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
But Johnnie Walker&rsquo;s history of pioneering women cuts deeper than recent memory. In fact, one of their most important distilleries, Cardhu, was founded by a woman back in 1811.

Formerly called Cardow, the distillery of Cardhu is located in the north side of the Spey valley in Scotland. Helen Cumming, its founder, started distilling in between harvest seasons and selling the whisky to passersby through their window. Years later, in 1872, Helen&rsquo;s daughter-in-law Elizabeth Cumming would take over the business. Elizabeth grew the whisky&rsquo;s production year by year, and by 1884, a new distillery was built to accommodate the growing demand.

Apart from that, Elizabeth fine-tuned the whisky that Helen started with and developed its flavor and character into the Cardhu whisky we know today. After overseeing the distillery&rsquo;s expansion into a promising enterprise, Elizabeth partnered with Johnnie Walker (then John Walker &amp; Sons) in 1893 to preserve the whisky and the community, further cementing the place of women in the history of Scotch whisky.xt
When you first arrive in Cardhu, you are greeted by two golden statues: one of the famous Johnnie Walker Striding Man, flanked by a figure of Helen waving a red flag, just as she did in the distillery&rsquo;s early days. The two are framed beautifully by the lush Speyside landscape, and on the other side, the distillery itself. There is an immediate warmth felt just by looking at the building, with its history stamped on its brickwork just as it is on the bottles of single-malt whisky it produces.

Inside, guests are taken on a journey of the history of Cardhu. While the interiors are modern, they match the same warmth and weight of the exterior. There are several ways to experience Carchu, all beginning with a tour of the distillery itself.&nbsp;

It starts off in the immersive projection story room, which narrates Cardhu&rsquo;s rich history. Here, you&rsquo;ll discover Cardhu&rsquo;s reputation as a whisky infused with passion and character, thanks to the unwavering commitment, expertise, and generosity of the two women who built the distillery. This is followed by an informative tour of the distilling process, guided by one of Cardhu&rsquo;s whisky specialists.

After that is a choice of your own adventure: the first is the Cardhu Flavor Journey tour, which caps off the distillery tour with a tutored tasting of three whiskies and a highball cocktail in Cardhu&rsquo;s Tasting Kitchen. Next is the Guess Dhu Tour and Tasting Challenge, which features a mystery whisky challenge that puts your senses to the test in the Cardhu Collection Room. Finally, the Cardhu Collection Tour offers a deep dive into Cardhu&rsquo;s flavors with a tutored nosing and tasting of the entire Cardhu range.

During the tasting, you&rsquo;ll discover what sets Cardhu apart from other whiskies, and why it&rsquo;s an integral part of Johnnie Walker&rsquo;s blends. It is often described as silky, with an air of elegance and approachability; it has a rich and fruity sweetness, accentuated by light spice notes.&nbsp;
Cardhu isn&rsquo;t intimidating: its smooth, sweet, and mellow character is drawn from the waters of the Mannoch Hills that surround the distillery. If its flavor tastes familiar, that&rsquo;s because Cardhu is blended with whiskies from other distilleries to create the unique profile of Johnnie Walker, such as the Highland malt Clynelish, and the now-silent Port Dundas, among others. It is this special combination of flavors, carefully tuned over the course of centuries, that makes Johnnie Walker so distinctive.
This coming together of flavors wouldn&rsquo;t have been possible without the partnership between Elizabeth and Johnnie Walker and is a testament to the genius and perseverance of women in the world of whisky. It&rsquo;s a story that resonates not only within Scotland but around the world, and especially here in the Philippines, where women make powerful strides everyday. The story of Cardhu proves that there is a place for women in whatever field they wish to pursue &ndash; and that whisky isn&rsquo;t simply a man&rsquo;s drink.
Cardhu is available online at Diageo&rsquo;s official <a href="https://www.lazada.com.ph/diageo/?spm=a2o4l.10450891.0.0.27ce7755j8qyvx&amp;q=All-Products&amp;shop_category_ids=750866&amp;from=wangpu&amp;sc=KVUG">Lazada store</a>, along with Johnnie Walker&rsquo;s various blends. For more information, visit Cardhu&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.malts.com/en-gb/brands/cardhu">website</a>.
Drink responsibly. Visit the <a href="https://www.drinkiq.com/">DrinkIQ.com</a> site to learn more about alcohol facts.

Johnnie Walker’s Cardhu Distillery is a Testament to Women’s Genius

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