Caperdonich 26 Years Old 1992 Old & Rare A Platinum Selection (Hunter Laing)

A Caperdonich of a 26 year old chosen by the independent Hunter Laing, distilled in 1992, bottled at 48%, one of 210 bottles. Caperdonich was the lesser known twin of Glen Grant, on Station Street in Rothes. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011.

Drawn off the tall stills on Caperdonich Burn water, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. A bourbon barrel held it, lending vanilla and a little cream. In these late years the spirit concentrates to a waxy, tropical depth held in an ellagitannin frame. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, waxy core over the decades. It closed in 1902 after the Pattison crash, lying silent for over sixty years. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

Undiluted at 48%, it is layered. Tropical fruit, wax and a creamy oat, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run pear, cream and a soft mint. A long, fruity finish carries a tropical lift. This is a creamy, tropical Speyside single malt of real age.