Caperdonich 1972, Image from Whiskybase

Finding out I had been sipping a Caperdonich made me scratch my head a little bit. I could have been more wrong, but not by much (I guessed Speyside correctly). This now defunct and demolished distillery has produced some of the best drams I had last year and it’s legendary 1972 bottles have been climbing steadily of the ladder towards unaffordability.

Sniff:
A little dry and thin with chalk and slate. Refill bourbon cask, I’d say. Leafy herbs, banana peel, a tad salty with pear and star apple. Toasted oak, roasted almonds and barley.

Sip:
Sweet with spicy pepper. I guess it’s low in alcohol and therefore a little bit thin. Very old fashioned, like some bottling from the 1980s. Again a little bit salty. Later on I get some vanilla, banana and juicy peaches.

Swallow:
The finish is very gentle, very smooth and also reminds me of bottlings from years gone by that I have been able to try. Can’t really pinpoint it. Wood, simple syrup and sweetness.

Cardhu 12 from the 1980s. Image from Whiskybase

I feel like this is a bottling from long ago. There’s something in there that reminds me of that, but I don’t really know what. The only really old bottle I have tasted ‘recently’ that came to mind was a 1980s bottling of Cardhu 12, so my guess went there.

25 years off in the age, the distillery is quite different too. This makes me realize two things:

• I still suck at this.
• This isn’t a Caperdonich like any of the other ones I tried.

I really like this whisky, but wouldn’t pay € 200 for it.

Caperdonich 37, 1972-2010, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld, 51.4%. No longer available.