Caperdonich 19 Years Old 1995 Cask #95069 (BB&R)

A Caperdonich drawn by the London merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, distilled in 1995, from cask 95069, bottled at 56.6%. Caperdonich, a lost Speyside distillery in Rothes, fell silent in 2002. It was extended to four stills in 1967, run by only a couple of workers.

The spirit was run through the distillery's tall copper stills, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Decades in ex-Bourbon oak drew out vanilla and a waxy depth. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, pear turning to mango over a waxy, creamy body. The light, creamy spirit takes cask flavour readily while keeping its pear and mint. A pipeline known as the whisky pipe once carried its spirit across the road to Glen Grant. A slow maturation suits the delicate, creamy make, the fruit turning tropical with time. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Closed in 2002 and later demolished, its profile is fixed for good.

At a natural 56.6% it is full and oily. A waxy, pear scented fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily and waxy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. The finish runs waxy, fruity and soft. This is Caperdonich's creamy, fruity Speyside style.