Caperdonich 26 Years Old 1996 Cask #82237 (Blackadder)

A Caperdonich drawn by the bottler Blackadder, distilled in 1996, from cask 82237, bottled at 55.2%, one of 170 bottles. Caperdonich was a Speyside distillery in Rothes, closed in 2002 and since demolished. A few warehouses still stand, but the stillhouse and kiln are long gone.

Made in tall copper stills for a light, fruity spirit, for a delicate Speyside spirit with a creamy lift. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light vanilla. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds waxy tropical fruit. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011. It was extended to four stills in 1967, run by only a couple of workers. The oily, waxy texture is a mark of well aged Caperdonich. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.2%, it is rich. A creamy, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily and waxy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. Pear, cream and a soft oak see out the finish. This is a waxy, pear scented Speyside single malt.