Caperdonich 28 Years Old 1982 Cask #DL 6523 (Douglas Laing)

The Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing bottled this Caperdonich, a 28 year old, distilled in 1982, from cask DL 6523, bottled at 50%, one of 310 bottles. Caperdonich is a closed Speyside distillery, its stock now finite and dwindling. A pipeline known as the whisky pipe once carried its spirit across the road to Glen Grant.

It was made in tall copper stills for a light, fruity spirit, for a soft, fruity, oily make. Decades in ex-Bourbon oak drew out vanilla and a waxy depth. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings tropical esters of mango and pineapple over a waxy cream. Refill oak lets the soft, fruity Caperdonich character lead the way. Active wood frames the fruit without smothering the soft, creamy spirit. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. It closed in 1902 after the Pattison crash, lying silent for over sixty years. With Caperdonich demolished, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At a full 50% it is bold yet fruity. A waxy, pear scented fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked pear and a soft spice lift it. The finish is deep, waxy and tropical. This is Caperdonich, the lost twin of Glen Grant.