The Cardrona Growing Wings is a five-year-old single malt from The Cardrona Distillery in New Zealand's Cardrona Valley, matured in a combination of select ex-Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at natural cask strength, 63.9% ABV, in a 375ml bottle.
Cardrona, set in the alpine Cardrona Valley in the South Island, is one of New Zealand's leading single malt distilleries. Growing Wings is the next chapter after Just Hatched, and Jim Murray's Whisky Bible awarded it 95.5 points in 2024.
The nose brings vanilla bean, treacle, toasted pecans and sweet malt. On the palate come pecan pie, vanilla bean cream, dark toffee and dried fruit, loaded with treacle and clotted cream, and the finish is long, with sherry spice and dry oak.
The elegant bottle makes it a distinctive gift for whisky collectors.
Add water a few drops at a time to open the fruit.
The Cardrona Valley sits in Central Otago between Wanaka and Queenstown, where hot, dry summers and freezing winters create a wide swing of temperatures that works the spirit in and out of the oak. The distillery's solera approach blends whiskies of different ages in stages, so that some older whisky is always part of each bottling, building depth and consistency.
The 375ml bottle at full cask strength is an ideal way to explore New Zealand single malt, and a few drops of water reveal how much flavour is packed into the spirit.
Tasting Notes
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Nose: Vanilla bean, treacle, toasted pecans and sweet malt.
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Palate: Pecan pie, vanilla cream, dark toffee and dried fruit.
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Finish: Long, with sherry spice and dry oak.
Specifications
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Producer: The Cardrona Distillery
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Style: New Zealand Single Malt Whisky, cask strength
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Expression / Batch: Growing Wings
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Age: 5 years
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Proof / ABV: 127.8 proof (63.9% ABV)
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Cask / Finish: Ex-Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels
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Region: Cardrona Valley, New Zealand
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Size: 375ml
How to Enjoy It
Serve it neat with plenty of water on the side. It pairs with pecan pie, toffee or blue cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is it?
Five years.
What casks were used?
Ex-Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels.
What proof is it?
It is bottled at natural cask strength, 63.9% ABV.
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