Caperdonich 24 Years Old 1992 Cask #4113283 (Duncan Taylor)

The Huntly bottler Duncan Taylor bottled this Caperdonich, a 24 year old, distilled in 1992, from cask 4113283, bottled at 46.7%, one of 51 bottles. Caperdonich, a ghost of Speyside, was demolished in 2011 to make way for a coppersmith's works. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977.

Drawn off the tall stills on Caperdonich Burn water, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the spirit lead. In these late years the spirit concentrates to a waxy, tropical depth held in an ellagitannin frame. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Rothes warehouses. A few warehouses still stand, but the stillhouse and kiln are long gone. It was rarely bottled as a single malt in its lifetime, so most come from independents. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At a natural 46.7% it is full and oily. Cream, orchard fruit and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft pear and a waxy cream sit behind the cask. The close is long, fruit over a gentle oak. This is the soft, fruity ghost of Glen Grant's sister.