Caperdonich 30 Years Old Cask #Batch CA/002

Caperdonich from the distillery's own stock, a 30 year old, cask Batch CA/002, at 53.6%. Caperdonich was built in 1898 as Glen Grant No.2, the sister distillery across the road from Glen Grant. It reopened in 1965 to feed Glen Grant's booming Italian trade, and took the Caperdonich name in 1977.

The spirit was distilled in tall stills with their spherical condensation zone, for a delicate Speyside spirit with a creamy lift. A bourbon barrel held it, lending vanilla and a little cream. At this great, fragile age oxidation rules, ethereal esters, beeswax and old polished tannins to the close. Long ageing turns the fresh pear towards mango, beeswax and a polished oak. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. A slow maturation suits the delicate, creamy make, the fruit turning tropical with time. With Caperdonich demolished, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At 53.6%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Pear, vanilla and a green mint lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is waxy, the fruit carried on a creamy body. The close is long, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a single malt from a silent Speyside distillery.