Cairn Distillery CRN57° 25 & CRN57° 30 year old
From The Cairn website
The Cairn Distillery is owned by Gordon & MacPhail, a fourth-generation family business. Starting back in the 19th century as shop owners, we have grown to be wholesalers, whisky bottlers and distillery owners. But throughout this growth, we have always kept true to our origins and remain an independent family business firmly rooted in the local community.
CRN57° is a range of blended malt Scotch whiskies created by our master blenders giving you a chance to discover notes, flavours and aromas you’ll eventually experience in the first expressions produced at The Cairn.
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CRN57° 25 YO - 43%
The CRN57° range of blended malt Scotch whiskies reveal what the aromas and flavours of the single malts to emerge in future years from The Cairn Distillery may be. Our 25-year-old allows you to taste the future today.
Tasting notes
Appearance: Tawny coloured, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Lyon’s Golden syrup, candied pineapple, Rum baba, orchard fruit, toasted hazelnuts, cinnamon and a touch of clove oil
Palate: Mouthcoatingly buttery. Poached orchard fruit, milk chocolate enrobed orange peel, soft brown sugar, raspberry mousse, toasted almond flakes, tobacco leaf and gently warming pepper
Finish: Mild astringency, milk chocolate, a hint of pineapple upside down cake, tobacco leaf, liquorice and subtle oak spice
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CRN57° 30 YO - 43%
We reach the summit of our CRN57° core range of blended malt Scotch whiskies with our 30 year old. Bottled at 43%, this delicious elixir transports you three decades into the future, replicating the flavours that may emerge in a 30- year-old single malt from The Cairn Distillery.
Tasting notes
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which beads before merging and slowly falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: Baked apples stuffed with dried fruit and dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar, Medjool dates, candied orange peel and caramel toffee
Palate: Medium bodied with a soft creaminess. Rich dried fruit, toasted hazelnuts, dark berries, orange peel, old libraries full of polished oak shelves and dusty books, cinnamon and ginger spice
Finish: Mild astringency, dried fruit, liquorice and oak spice
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Overall: I was recently fortunate to be part of a tasting session organised by The Whisky Wire and Cairn Distillery, looking at four blends developed by owners Gordon & MacPhail to give an idea of the character they’re aiming for with this new distillery. I’ve not included my thoughts on the 12 and 18 year old blends as these formed part of a previous review on samples from a visit to the distillery.
As would probably be expected, these older blends bring additional complexity and depth whilst retaining much of the flavour profile they are aiming to achieve with Cairn’s own spirit.
Out of the four blends I’ve tried, the 25 year old was my personal favourite, just shading out the 18. Perhaps surprisingly, I found the 30 year old a little underwhelming in terms of mouthfeel and overall experience. That said, if any of these whiskies give an accurate picture of what is to come from Cairn Distillery, then they paint a very bright future.
Cairn is a very modern distillery, completely different in design to the traditional layout, and well worth a visit. More information on the distillery and their whiskies can be found via the link
Transparency: Received free of charge for independent review, all opinions are my own and remain completely impartial.
