Caperdonich 39 Years Old 1969 Lonach (Duncan Taylor)

A Caperdonich drawn by the Huntly bottler Duncan Taylor, distilled in 1969, bottled at 42.2%. Caperdonich, a lost Speyside distillery in Rothes, fell silent in 2002. Its character was close to Glen Grant but its own, less green apple, more cream, pear and mint.

Run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for the light, creamy, fruity make Caperdonich is known for. First fill bourbon gave it a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut. At an ethereal, fragile age the spirit turns delicate, sotolon lending maple and old oak as beeswax lingers. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Ethyl esters built over the years lend the pear and tropical fruit of old Caperdonich. Its spirit went largely into blends such as Chivas Regal and Royal Salute. A few warehouses still stand, but the stillhouse and kiln are long gone. The distillery is gone, demolished in 2011, so what sleeps in cask is all there is.

At 42.2% it is smooth and fruity. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla fill the middle. A long, creamy finish ends on pear and vanilla. This is a single malt from a silent Speyside distillery.