Caperdonich 18 Years Old 1994 (Whiskybox)

The bottler Whiskybox selected this Caperdonich, an 18 year old, distilled in 1994, bottled at 53.8%. Caperdonich, a lost Speyside distillery in Rothes, fell silent in 2002. A few warehouses still stand, but the stillhouse and kiln are long gone.

Run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for a soft, fruity, oily make. 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. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. It was rarely bottled as a single malt in its lifetime, so most come from independents. It is named, like the burn, from the Gaelic for the secret well. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. Its character was close to Glen Grant but its own, less green apple, more cream, pear and mint. Closed in 2002 and later demolished, its profile is fixed for good.

Undiluted at 53.8%, it is layered. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A tropical fruit and a gentle oak give it depth. A long, creamy finish ends on pear and vanilla. This is the soft, fruity ghost of Glen Grant's sister.