Caperdonich 28 Years Old 1997 Cask #5835 (Whisky AGE)

The bottler Whisky AGE bottled this Caperdonich, a 28 year old, distilled in 1997, from cask 5835, bottled at 42.7%, one of 146 bottles. Caperdonich made a light, fruity Speyside malt at Rothes until its closure in 2002. It closed in 1902 after the Pattison crash, lying silent for over sixty years.

This was run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for a delicate Speyside spirit with a creamy lift. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and creamy beneath the fruit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds waxy tropical fruit. Years in oak round the spirit, the pear and cream deepening with age. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011. The light Speyside make gains most of its depth from decades in good oak. It is named, like the burn, from the Gaelic for the secret well. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At a hearty 42.7% it carries real weight. Pear, vanilla and a green mint lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla fill the middle. A long, fruity finish carries a tropical lift. This is the soft, fruity ghost of Glen Grant's sister.