Caperdonich 21 yo Peated Small Batch Release Batch N° CP/002

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

American Oak Barrels 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Slightly Peated 

 

 

 

The distillery also produced peated juice, surprising as it may seem, and apparently in sufficient quantities to produce five batches of 21-year-old whisky between 2019 and 2023. This one is the second batch, released in 2020, and we can be sure that the maturation process will not distort the distillate. The level of peat is light, I don't know the exact amount, but in my opinion it is less than 20 ppm. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It is very balanced, light and rustic, very fresh apples and citrus fruits, cut hay and herbaceous notes, with a fairly garden-like peat, cooked vegetables, orange peel with a hint of salt, freshly ground cereals. On the palate, slightly rough vanilla, roasted pineapple and chocolate-covered apple, the spices are quite intense, black pepper, cloves, cumin. Long and powerful finish, it becomes more earthy, with some dried fruit, old books, seductive smoke, tubers, nuts, lianas, truffles.

 

In Short, 

The peat adds that touch of personality that was missing from the distillate, making it more rustic and intense, with more character and contrast, but it still has a beautiful balance. A very good experience for me, it's a shame that the price means I can't afford to buy it. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Mia Marlene - Witching Hour

Caperdonich 21 yo Small Batch Release Batch N° CA/002

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

1st Fill American Oak Barrels

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition  

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

This bottling series was released well after the distillery closed in 2002. There were five batches, dating from 2019 to 2023. This is the second, so it was bottled in early 2020, just before lockdown. The ageing process is not complex, leaving plenty of room for the distillate to shine. No idea how many bottles were produced.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Creamy and braised vanilla, delicate floral notes, lilac, lily, candied fruit, orange, banana, shortbread biscuits dusted with icing sugar, green apple, fresh pear, small clementines, mirabelle plums. On the palate, it is silky smooth, pear purée, beaten egg whites, whipped cream, a generous dash of vanilla, very subtle spices. The finish is pleasant, walnuts and hazelnuts, English cream, a pinch of coconut, wood shavings, white chocolate, cake batter, sponge cake. Peanut butter.

 

 

In Short, 

It is delicate, airy and smooth, but the fruit flavours are varied and complex, with a slight sweetness. It is very well made, but perhaps it lacks a little personality to make it stand out more. In any case, I found it very pleasant to drink. The price is based on the rarity of the product, not its quality, which is why it is so high. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :  

                                           Dzivia - Flower Maiden

Gone Grant 1994 Whiskyland Chapter Eighteen 30 yo

 

 

 

51,2°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

Refill Bourbon Barrel and 1st Fill Sherry Finish

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

So we're already at chapter 18 of the Whiskyland story, which means I've missed fifteen! This one is called Gone Grant, but I'm not giving away any secrets when I say that it's a Caperdonich, first matured in a Refill Bourbon Barrel for 26 years, then 4 years in a 1st Fill Sherry Hogshead. 230 bottles were taken from the cask. Not to be confused with Chapter 9, of the same name, which also appears to be a Caperdonich.

Let's Taste It : 

Very soft nose, slightly chalky, ointment, floor wax, lemon diluted in sparkling water, paraffin. Crushed fruit, mirabelle plums, bananas, cooked apples, old library. A hint of exoticism, tobacco leaves, pan-fried mushrooms. A zest of blood oranges. It's silky and smooth on the palate, the fruit is coated in honey, wax overflows, lime and lychees, tropical notes, passion fruit, very subtle spices. Chalk and quartz. Very long finish, sandy, refreshing, full of citrus fruits, grapefruit and kumquat, white pepper, cola, bay leaf, dried apricots, oregano. 

 

In Short, 

A work of goldsmith, each stage of the tasting is a discovery, where subtlety impresses and flavours mingle. It is a great whisky, with just the right amount of sherry and perfect balance. However, the price gives pause for thought.

Score : 91  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Rosie Malone - Shadow of My Own Heart

Caperdonich 25 yo Small Batch Release Batch CA/002

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

1st Fill American Oak Barrels

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In this range launched in 2019, the Secret Speyside Collection, there are two types of Caperdonich, the peated and the unpeated. There were 5 batches of unpeated, and 4 Batches of peated, before this annual limited edition disappeared, due to a lack of casks I suppose. Here we have the 2nd Batch of unpeated Caperdonich, numbered CA/002, bottled in 2020, reduced to 48° and aged in related Bourbon casks. This is a limited edition of over 11500 bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Lemon, almost acidic, which takes on fullness and becomes candied at the end, floral honey, creamy vanilla, some exotic fruit, papaya, prickly pear, pineapple, melted butter, discreet woodiness, untreated pine, dry earth, herbaceous notes. On the palate, ripe yellow plums, mashed bananas, but it's light, almost silky, a concentrate of sunshine, perhaps a few cereals, very controlled spices. Long finish, not very powerful, but pleasant, braised chestnuts, roasted nuts, hazelnuts, cashew, liquorice stick, coconut milk. Mirabelles.

 

In Short, 

I was a little taken aback by the lightness of the flavours and the low alcohol content, but after a time of adjustment, I came to appreciate the distillery's typical character, the lively citrus fruits that extend to exotic fruits, a very pleasant mellowness, and a good length on the palate. Unfortunately, the price is prohibitive, but it's a fine bottling and a great success.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Hello Seahorse! - Al Fuego

Caperdonich 25 yo Small Batch Release Batch CP/001

 

 

 

45,5°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

Hogsheads

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Lightly Peated

 

 

 

It is still Chivas Brothers that has taken the initiative of releasing these aged bottlings from distilleries that have nurtured various Blends for decades, as part of this Secret Speyside Collection range. Here we have a 25-year-old Caperdonich, from a distillery that closed in 2002 and was destroyed in 2011. So it's one of the last witnesses of a time gone forever. Here we have the peated version; I'll talk about the unpeated version soon. The peat is light, a little less than 20 ppm in my opinion. The ageing is marked by the influence of Bourbon, these are Hogsheads, but I suspect the presence of American oak. The bottles are numbered, and I know there are at least 7500 of them.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Light, slightly candied lemon, dusty peat, gravel, ripe yellow plums and crushed bananas. Chimney smoke, white peaches, fresh and airy iodine notes, more or less floral and sweet, stiffly beaten eggs, pastry cream. On the palate, still lots of fruit, green apples, sweet pears, the peat is barely perceptible, but brings some dirtiness, which creates a nice contrast. Rose loukoum, then timid spices, cloves, nutmeg. Quite a long, deep finish, a few drops of soot, warm chestnuts, delicate woodiness, melted churn butter, the kind you put on croissants.

 

In Short, 

Quite typical of the distillery, it's light, lemony and quite fruity. The peat is discreet, giving fullness to the nose, but crushing the flavours a little. The alcohol content is low; all the other whiskies I tasted that day were much stronger, so my score may be a little harsh. In any case, it's very expensive for what it is, admittedly this is a closed distillery, but a limited edition of over 7,000 copies is not a rare edition.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Meg Baird - Through Eyes and Glass

Caperdonich 1996 Cadenhead's Closed Distilleries 20 yo

 

 

 

46,4°

Distillery : Caperdonich - Speyside

Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By William Cadenhead Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2017

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Caperdonich is a distillery that closed in 2002 and was destroyed in 2010. It is impossible to reopen it, as they did with Brora and Port Ellen. Its bottlings are therefore condemned to oblivion, but before that happens, I managed to hold on to this one, aged 20 years and released by Cadenhead. The simple maturation process preserves the distillate, and 264 bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Candied lemon, dash of creamy vanilla, warm brioche, breadcrumbs, soufflé. Soft doughnut sprinkled with icing sugar. Sweet pears, green grapes, melon and prickly pears. Some floral and herbaceous tones, freshly cut grass, wild mint leaf. In the background, light wax, a little liquid. Marshmallow. On the palate it's a tad light but fresh, airy and very well balanced. Lime, dried fruit, delicate woodiness, peach stones. More ripe orchard fruits and discreet spices, ginger, cloves. Quite long, syrupy finish, still fruity, beeswax, rosewater. Some cereals. 

In Short, 

It's very well made, light and subtle, typically Speyside, pastry-like and delicate, full of sunshine and sweetness. For fans of the profile, Caperdonich seems to be a hidden treasure, perhaps close to being gone forever. This one is, of course, sold out everywhere, but is still sometimes found at auction.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Abøn - Morphus