Caperdonich 22 Years Old 1997 Cask #19130 (Lady of the Glen)

A Caperdonich of a 22 year old chosen by the bottler Lady of the Glen, distilled in 1997, from cask 19130, bottled at 60.5%, one of 171 bottles. Caperdonich, once Glen Grant No.2, ran in Rothes until Pernod Ricard closed it in 2002. Chivas released a Secret Speyside range of official Caperdonich in 2019, aged eighteen to thirty years.

Made in tall copper stills for a light, fruity spirit, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the spirit. Through the evaporative decades the oils concentrate, lactones and esters folding into mango and beeswax. Ethyl esters built over the years lend the pear and tropical fruit of old Caperdonich. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. Its character was close to Glen Grant but its own, less green apple, more cream, pear and mint. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

Bottled at a cask strength 60.5%, it is rich. Tropical fruit, wax and a creamy oat, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run pear, cream and a soft mint. The close is long, fruit over a gentle oak. This is the soft, fruity ghost of Glen Grant's sister.