Already at the beginning of the 19th century, the distillery gained notoriety as an illicit still before transitioning to legal operations in its founding year.
It was only in 1983 that the distillery was renamed Cardhu, which in Gaelic means "black rock," referring to the hill on which the production facilities are situated.
The Speyside whisky is now part of the spirits portfolio of Diageo and is globally esteemed for its fruity and characterful single malts.