Caperdonich 21 Years Old 1992 Cask #121123 (BB&R)

A Caperdonich drawn by the London merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, distilled in 1992, from cask 121123, bottled at 46%. Caperdonich was the quiet sister of Glen Grant, a Rothes distillery now demolished. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977.

This was distilled from unpeated malt in tall Glen Grant style stills, to build a clean, waxy, fruity character. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Oxidative maturity brings a waxy, fruity depth, ethyl esters of tropical fruit building over the pear. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Rothes warehouses. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. It was built in 1898 by J and J Grant of Glen Grant, as Glen Grant No.2, to meet the whisky boom. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At an approachable 46% it is soft and balanced. Soft pear, cream and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft pear and a waxy cream sit behind the cask. A long, creamy finish ends on pear and vanilla. This is a finite single malt from the lost Caperdonich distillery.