
January 28, 2022

Caperdonich at night

Right. There hasn't been much Caperdonich (AKA Glen Grant II) around recently, it's true that the Distillery's been closed for good quite some years ago, in 2002. But they are making a comeback these days, whilst last time I checked, they hadn't restarted the Distillery - well it's true that it's been bulldozed in 2010.

Caperdonich 21 yo 2000/2021 (56.9%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange, hogshead, cask #29485, 256 bottles)

My God, the year 2000, wasn't that just yesterday? Colour: gold. Nose: Spanish olive oil (Priorat?) aged in a first fill bourbon barrel, then blended with blood orange juice and some almond and pistachio syrups. Some kirschness (which is related to those almonds), also just some average 4-oil combo. With water: ceps and chanterelles stewed in acacia honey and pear juice. Or something like that. Mouth (neat): oh, but this is extremely modern! Some tight gingery sweet oak, touches of bananas and coconut, curry, butterscotch and plum sauce. Some kind of rejuvenation having taken place, perhaps? With water: water brings out oak spices in abundance. I'm most certainly wrong, but wasn't this recently reracked in new oak? Finish: rather long, sweet and spicy. Yuzu and ginger. Comments: super good but it is a modern reinterpretation, unless I'm wrong once more. I think I'll retire into a convent – well I'm sure they'd never want me in anyway.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Caperdonich 21 yo 2000/2021 (55%, WhiskySponge, 260 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: I don't quite know into which hole we should put these Caperdonichs. It's a strange feeling, and I'm sure it's me, but I just don't seem to manage to define 'a style' here. While, I'm sure we agree, life is all about style. Coconut, butter pears, golden delicious, sunflower oil, sweet maize, pancakes, then sourer woods and herbs. Plain yoghurt. With water: chalk and cactus and ginger. Woolite. Tarter than the TWE. Mouth (neat): let's be honest, this is very good. We're actually very close to the Signatory for TWE. Oak spices, ginger, nutmeg, zests, ginseng, sweet curry... With water: good fun with tiny citrus fruits and any herbs that would remind you of mint while not being mint. Stuff that you gather and chew in the wild. Finish: same, on yuzu and ginger. The aftertaste is more syrupy. Comments: very good shtuff for sure, it's just that these babies lose me a wee bit. I just can't seem to manage to categorize them.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Caperdonich 23 yo 1997/2021 (60.1%, HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #2949, 186 bottles)

According to the label, this is some kind of kung-fu fighter, so let's remain careful… Colour: gold. Nose: a little rounder, more on cakes, scones, brioches, biscuits… Now at 60%+, let's be extra-careful. With water: sublime citrus coming out. Tarte au citron with meringue, same with rhubarb, kumbawa, elderberries… add chalk, add plaster, add weissbeer… This nose is exceptional. Who's done this bottling for the very honourable HNWS? Mouth (neat): a higher league, definitely. Stunning pink grapefruits, citrons, pink rhubarb… Oh wow. But then again, 60%+. With water: a tad on the richer side, but otherwise impeccably lemony. Finger lime, horseradish, kiwi cream… Finish: remains fresh, lemony, and smiling for a pretty long time. S.m.i.l.e. Comments: woo-hoo! So, who did do this bottle for our dearest friends in Taiwan? You'll have noticed that I haven't even mentioned their superb Wulong teas.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Caperdonich 20 yo 1997/2018 (48.6%, La Distillerie Générale, cask #6502, 35cl, 468 bottles, +/-2018)

This seems to be a peated Caperdonich. La Distillerie Générale is a wee series by Pernod-Ricard, some kind of own-IB line harbouring only their own spirits (malts, cognacs…) Colour: white wine. Nose: pretty costal and fresh, with ashes and beach fire coating green apples and some green curry powder. Whelks, perhaps, plus some kind of smoked chartreuse. With sincere apologies to chartreuse lovers. Mouth: typical peaty unpeater, in the style of some Benriachs or other trials made on the mainland. Right, not Brora. Tends to become very ashy indeed, drying, gritty, scraping the back of your tongue a wee bit, rather salty as well. Touches of paraffin, not much fruitiness. But I find it good. Finish: medium, really very ashy. Comments: these peated Caperdonichs were very well made but then again, I would say it was neither Islay, nor Brora.
SGP:365 - 82 points.

Caperdonich 24 yo 1992/2017 (46.7%, Duncan Taylor, The Octave, cask # 4113283)

A tiny oak-doped outturn here, but you never know… It's to be remembered that Duncan T. had had several luminous old Caperdonichs from their ex-Abe Rosenberg stock. Colour: gold. Nose: oh well, that worked. No Ikea-y oaky extravaganza, rather a subtle herbal combination that would remind us of some old 'Tarragone' yellow chartreuse. Hey-hey! Only wee touches of coconut, chamomile, lemon tarte with meringue, stewed rhubarb, then wormwood and woodruff. That's all pretty perfect – an octave, you say? Mouth: very good. Herbal teas, lime, thyme, honeysuckle, pastis, absinth, verbena, then some mentholy honey of some sorts… It's just that it would tend to become a little bitter and seriously gritty. Bitter herbs, green pepper, cinnamon mints… Finish: long but frankly bitter this time. I'm not sure this baby could stand this much oak on the long run. Comments: a very fine dram, it's just that the oak would tend to be willing to take over after a short while, rather unsurprisingly. But it all started rather marvellously.
SGP:471 - 81 points.

And so…

Hold on, we were also having this…

Caperdonich 19 yo 1977/1997 (57.5%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, sherry wood)

Cadenhead have had several 1977s, but we had never tried this one. Colour: dark amber. Nose: oh, old Swiss cheese and re-fermented PX or something. Supermarket parmesan cheese and extreme vinegars. In short, WAR in your glass. But peace is near, I'm sure… With water: pemican, bresaola, chilli-flavoured beef jerky, prune liqueur, stale mead, metal polish… I mean, really, this is doom-metal-black-hardcore sherried malt whisky on the nose. But you never know, the palate might be more Vivaldi-y. Mouth (neat): no, it's huge, terrifying, monstrously acetic, prune-y, balsamic, tarry and just frightening. Not much whisky left in this ueber-extreme concoction. With water: no! Dead animals and stale embrocations, rotten tars, burnt plastics, sour liquorices… This is Dante's Inferno, only even worse. Finish: not short enough. Ten times overcooked office coffee. Comments: well, there was a 18 yo 1977/1996 at 57.7% that had been stunning in my book (WF 91) but this time, I would say rarely has such a liquid horror been encountered in the history of mankind. Okay, maybe durian juice mixed with natto, Starbucks' White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino and Bud Light Chelada??… Now it is not impossible that some problems have occurred with the bottle or the sample, so as always with old bottlings, please take any tasting notes with a grain of salt.
SGP:182 - (no points)

Better stop now, before we start to scratch the bottom…

Check the index of all Caperdonich we've tasted so far