Caperdonich 18 Years Old Cask #Batch CP/002

Caperdonich from the distillery's own stock, an 18 year old, cask Batch CP/002, at 48%. Caperdonich, once Glen Grant No.2, ran in Rothes until Pernod Ricard closed it in 2002. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977.

It was distilled in tall stills with their spherical condensation zone, building the fruity Caperdonich 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. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits both bourbon and sherry. Chivas released a Secret Speyside range of official Caperdonich in 2019, aged eighteen to thirty years. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, waxy core over the decades. The tall, Glen Grant style stills give a light spirit that ages with grace. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

At a full 48% it is bold yet fruity. A creamy, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked pear and a soft spice lift it. The close is long, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a demolished distillery.