Caperdonich 14 Years Old 1968 (Connoisseurs Choice)

From the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 14 year old Caperdonich, distilled in 1968, bottled at 40%. Caperdonich stood opposite Glen Grant in Rothes, built to share in its sister's success. Its spirit went largely into blends such as Chivas Regal and Royal Salute.

It was worked through the distillery's four tall stills, for a delicate Speyside spirit with a creamy lift. A bourbon barrel held it, lending vanilla and a little cream. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the creamy, fruity spirit growing rounder. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Rothes warehouses. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. It is named, like the burn, from the Gaelic for the secret well. Ethyl esters built over the years lend the pear and tropical fruit of old Caperdonich. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

Bottled at 40%, it is rounded. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily and waxy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. The close is long, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a finite single malt from the lost Caperdonich distillery.