Caperdonich 18 Years Old 1994 Cask #96525 (van Wees)

The bottler van Wees selected this Caperdonich, an 18 year old, distilled in 1994, from cask 96525, bottled at 46%, one of 243 bottles. Caperdonich stood opposite Glen Grant in Rothes, built to share in its sister's success. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011.

Distilled from unpeated malt in tall Glen Grant style stills, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the spirit. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out waxy tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Maturation in the cool north east kept the spirit fresh across long years. Active wood frames the fruit without smothering the soft, creamy spirit. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977. Closed in 2002 and later demolished, its profile is fixed for good.

At 46% it is supple and waxy. Pear, vanilla and a green mint lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla fill the middle. Pear, cream and a soft oak see out the finish. This is Caperdonich, the lost twin of Glen Grant.