Caperdonich 21 Years old 1994 Xtra Old Particular (57.7%, Douglas Laing, Cask #10769, 270 Bottles, 2015)

• ABV: 57.7%
• Age: 21 Years Old
• Bottling: Douglas Laing, Xtra Old Particular
• Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £sold out
• Origin: Caperdonich distillery
• Vintage: 1994

Image courtesy of Master of Malt

What they say

A rare bottling of single malt Scotch whisky from the closed Caperdonich distillery, matured in a single refill hogshead for 21 years. This was distilled in July 1994, a while before the distillery was closed in 2002. In its cask it aged until July 2015, when it was bottled with an outturn of 270 bottles by Douglas Laing for their Xtra Old Particular range.

What I say

As usual it is always a pleasure to sample from a Closed distillery as you know these chances are only going to become rarer and rarer. This particular Caperdonich was distilled in July 1994 and matured for 21 years before bottling in July 2015 by Douglas Laing as part of their Xtra old Particular XOP range.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Antique gold (7/20), ultra slow and fine tears leave fine legs.
• Nose: Dry and dusty, barley flour and dried lemon zest and pith, dry spices, leathery, fruit, grapefruit, pineapple, apricot, mostly dried, woody spice and sugars.
• Taste: Spiced tropical fruits in syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, white pepper, sweetens to spiced honey, cayenne or chilli pepper heat, aniseed and liquorice.
• Finish: Long, more liquorice and allspice, black pepper, toasted oak char and mothballs/camphory wood.

Overall

Quite spiced but in a really great way, massive old/tropical fruits in this one. A little camphory towards the end perhaps indicative of not the best i.e. 2nd/3rd fill or later cask but this is still good stuff and adds character rather than detracts from this whisky.

Score 88/100

Don’t take my word for it:

Bloggers submit link to your review