Blended Whisky, Scotland

Located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, The Cairn distillery, owned by the renowned Gordon & Macphail company, was inaugurated on October 18, 2022. While awaiting the bottling of its first single malt, expected in mid-2030, it launched a range of blended malts aged from 12 to 70 years in 2024. This version, named Vision, is a blend of Speyside whiskies and completes this series, available exclusively at the distillery and from La Maison du Whisky. Radiating maturity and nuanced, its aromatic and flavour profile—particularly fruity, freshly herbaceous, and deeply malty—foreshadows the style of future The Cairn expressions.

Nose: Ample and rich. Malty and peppery, the aromatic profile also reveals herbaceous notes (cut hay), vanilla, and a heady scent (iris concrete). With aeration, candied fruits (pear, apple), liquorice, and aromas of beeswax and arnica compete in intensity.

Palate: Dense, lively. Energized by the presence of candied citrus, the flavour profile unfolds with a smooth maltiness, vanilla, and fruitiness (coconut, pear). Then, becoming milky and minty, it oscillates between tangy lime flavors and more indulgent, custard-like notes.

Finish: Long and full-bodied. A lovely synthesis of the nose and palate, it reveals itself in turn as peppery, malty, and lemony. Inviting us to savour various infusions (thyme, chamomile), the retro-nasal aroma realistically recreates the warm atmosphere of a malting floor. The empty glass, meanwhile, is vanilla, resinous (cedar), and sweet (porridge).