Caperdonich 41 Years Old 1968 Cask #2595 (Duncan Taylor)

A Caperdonich drawn by the Huntly bottler Duncan Taylor, distilled in 1968, from cask 2595, bottled at 52.6%, one of 64 bottles. Caperdonich made a light, fruity Speyside malt at Rothes until its closure in 2002. After closure the site was sold to the coppersmith Forsyths, who demolished it in 2011.

The spirit was run through the distillery's tall copper stills, for the light, creamy, fruity make Caperdonich is known for. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and creamy beneath the fruit. Ethereal and fragile, decades draw the malt to a waxy, tropical delicacy of sotolon and old oak. Active wood frames the fruit without smothering the soft, creamy spirit. Caperdonich leaned to cream, pear and mint where Glen Grant showed green apple. Its character was close to Glen Grant but its own, less green apple, more cream, pear and mint. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 2002.

At a full 52.6% it is bold yet 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. A long, creamy finish ends on pear and vanilla. This is Caperdonich's creamy, fruity Speyside style.