Caperdonich 20 Years Old 1994 Cask #96540 (Single Cask Collection)

A Caperdonich of a 20 year old chosen by the bottler Single Cask Collection, distilled in 1994, from cask 96540, bottled at 53.5%, one of 254 bottles. Caperdonich, once Glen Grant No.2, ran in Rothes until Pernod Ricard closed it in 2002. It was extended to four stills in 1967, run by only a couple of workers.

It was run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for the light, creamy, fruity make Caperdonich is known for. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out waxy tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Its four stills were dispersed, a pair going as far as Belgium and others to Falkirk. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

At a natural 53.5% it is full and oily. A creamy, fruity sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run pear, cream and a soft mint. Pear, cream and a soft oak see out the finish. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a demolished distillery.