Caperdonich 21 Years Old 1995 Cask #95051 (Signatory)

A 21 year old Caperdonich, this distilled in 1995 from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 95051, bottled at 55.2%, one of 194 bottles. Caperdonich, once Glen Grant No.2, ran in Rothes until Pernod Ricard closed it in 2002. Its four stills were dispersed, a pair going as far as Belgium and others to Falkirk.

It was drawn off the tall stills on Caperdonich Burn water, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the creamy spirit. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (pear and pineapple) and a waxiness. The tall, Glen Grant style stills give a light spirit that ages with grace. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977. Active wood frames the fruit without smothering the soft, creamy spirit. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. Closed in 2002 and later demolished, its profile is fixed for good.

Undiluted at 55.2%, it is layered. A creamy, fruity sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla fill the middle. The finish is long, fruity and waxy. This is Caperdonich's creamy, fruity Speyside style.