Caperdonich 17 Years Old 1995 Cask #95068 (TWB)

A Caperdonich of a 17 year old chosen by the bottler The Whisky Barrel, distilled in 1995, from cask 95068, bottled at 55%. Caperdonich distilled a creamy, fruity Speyside malt at Rothes before closing in 2002. Water came from the Caperdonich Burn, the so called secret well above Rothes.

This was drawn off the tall stills on Caperdonich Burn water, to build a clean, waxy, fruity character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light vanilla. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (pear and pineapple) and a waxiness. The light Speyside make gains most of its depth from decades in good oak. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. 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. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

At a hearty 55% it carries real weight. Soft pear, cream and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run pear, cream and a soft mint. A long, creamy finish ends on pear and vanilla. This is a creamy, tropical Speyside single malt of real age.