Caperdonich 39 Years Old 1968 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Caperdonich was bottled by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 39 year old, distilled in 1968, bottled at 46%. Caperdonich was a Speyside malt distillery, its spirit long destined for blends. It was rarely bottled as a single malt in its lifetime, so most come from independents.

It was worked through the distillery's four tall stills, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the creamy spirit. At this great, fragile age oxidation rules, ethereal esters, beeswax and old polished tannins to the close. The light Speyside make gains most of its depth from decades in good oak. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011. The tall, Glen Grant style stills give a light spirit that ages with grace. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Rothes warehouses. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Tropical fruit, wax and a creamy oat, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is creamy and fruity, the soft spirit shining through. It finishes creamy, fruity and waxy. This is Caperdonich, the lost twin of Glen Grant.