Caperdonich 22 Years Old 2000 Cask #29492 (Signatory)

A 22 year old Caperdonich, this distilled in 2000 from the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, from cask 29492, bottled at 55.9%, one of 285 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.

This was run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for a delicate Speyside spirit with a creamy lift. 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). Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. Years in oak round the spirit, the pear and cream deepening with age. Maturation in the cool north east kept the spirit fresh across long years. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At a full 55.9% it is bold yet fruity. Pear, vanilla and a green mint lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is creamy and fruity, the soft spirit shining through. The finish is deep, waxy and tropical. This is a creamy, tropical Speyside single malt of real age.