Caperdonich 22 Years Old 2000 Cask #29490 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage selected this Caperdonich, a 22 year old, distilled in 2000, from cask 29490, bottled at 55.2%, one of 246 bottles. Caperdonich, a lost Speyside distillery in Rothes, fell silent in 2002. It was built in 1898 by J and J Grant of Glen Grant, as Glen Grant No.2, to meet the whisky boom.

It was worked through the distillery's four tall stills, for a soft, fruity, oily make. Decades in ex-Bourbon oak drew out vanilla and a waxy depth. Oxidative, evaporative ageing turns the malt rich and waxy, ethereal esters and a faint sotolon (maple). Maturation in the cool north east kept the spirit fresh across long years. The light, creamy spirit takes cask flavour readily while keeping its pear and mint. Ethyl esters built over the years lend the pear and tropical fruit of old Caperdonich. A few warehouses still stand, but the stillhouse and kiln are long gone. With Caperdonich demolished, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.2%, it is rich. A creamy, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is waxy, the fruit carried on a creamy body. The finish is deep, waxy and tropical. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a demolished distillery.