Caperdonich 20 Years Old 2000 Cask #29498 (Signatory)

This Caperdonich was bottled by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 20 year old, distilled in 2000, from cask 29498, bottled at 58.1%, one of 244 bottles. Caperdonich was built in 1898 as Glen Grant No.2, the sister distillery across the road from Glen Grant. It was rarely bottled as a single malt in its lifetime, so most come from independents.

The spirit was distilled from unpeated malt in tall Glen Grant style stills, for the light, creamy, fruity make Caperdonich is known for. First fill bourbon gave it a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, pear turning to mango over a waxy, creamy body. Ethyl esters built over the years lend the pear and tropical fruit of old Caperdonich. Water came from the Caperdonich Burn, the so called secret well above Rothes. It was built in 1898 by J and J Grant of Glen Grant, as Glen Grant No.2, to meet the whisky boom. With Caperdonich demolished, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At 58.1%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Apple, pear and a soft honey, 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 Caperdonich, the lost twin of Glen Grant.