Caperdonich 21 Years Old Cask #Batch CP/001

This official Caperdonich, a 21 year old, cask Batch CP/001, at 48%. Caperdonich, a lost Speyside distillery in Rothes, fell silent in 2002. It is named, like the burn, from the Gaelic for the secret well.

The spirit was distilled in tall stills with their spherical condensation zone, to build a clean, waxy, fruity character. A bourbon barrel held it, lending vanilla and a little cream. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out waxy tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. The tall, Glen Grant style stills give a light spirit that ages with grace. A pipeline known as the whisky pipe once carried its spirit across the road to Glen Grant. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits both bourbon and sherry. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Rothes warehouses. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At a natural 48% it is full and oily. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A tropical fruit and a gentle oak give it depth. A long, fruity finish carries a tropical lift. This is a finite single malt from the lost Caperdonich distillery.