Caperdonich 40 Years Old 1972 (The Whiskyman)

A Caperdonich drawn by the bottler The Whiskyman, distilled in 1972, bottled at 49%, one of 65 bottles. Caperdonich was the lesser known twin of Glen Grant, on Station Street in Rothes. Chivas released a Secret Speyside range of official Caperdonich in 2019, aged eighteen to thirty years.

Distilled in tall stills with their spherical condensation zone, giving the soft pear and mint of the house style. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla and a light sweetness under the fruit. Ethereal and fragile, decades draw the malt to a waxy, tropical delicacy of sotolon and old oak. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. The light, creamy spirit takes cask flavour readily while keeping its pear and mint. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. It was built in 1898 by J and J Grant of Glen Grant, as Glen Grant No.2, to meet the whisky boom. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

Bottled at a cask strength 49%, it is rich. Mango, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft pear and a waxy cream sit behind the cask. The finish is long, fruity and waxy. This is a waxy, pear scented Speyside single malt.