A little trio of very fine Caperdonich


September 7, 2026

A little trio of very fine Caperdonich,

28 29 30	Glen Grant 2
Straight from Glen Grant 2, aka Caperdonich, closed only very recently, in 2002. Indeed, 2002 is very recent by our standards. Just imagine, they closed Caperdonich just as we started Whiskyfun.

Caperdonich has become something of a cult amongst a section of the maltosphere, admittedly a small one, but a devoted one. Angus is amongst them… Let’s see what we have… Here, a 28, a 29 and a 30, will that do?

Caperdonich 28 yo 1997/2025 (42.7%, The Whisky Blues, STR barrel, cask #5835, 146 bottles)

A genuine STR barrel necessarily means a re-racking here, doesn’t it? Note that this baby was bottled for the highly distinguished Bar Finch, Bar Drambuie (really), Bar Luckenbooth and Bar Brera (no typo, it isn’t Brora). Colour: gold. Nose: you do feel the STR (or simply the rejuvenated cask), with immediate little touches of fresh coconut and banana, but that’s no problem whatsoever, especially since mango, light menthol and farmhouse cider soon take over, followed by papaya and avocado juices. Vanilla too, but with restraint, phew. Mouth: the re-racking has clearly put a little oomph back into it, and that seems to have worked extremely well. Exotic fruit juices with honey, cider, very old fino, touches of sorrel and basil, all of this is very good and even rather fun. Some very ripe apple comes in to coat the whole lot. Finish: not long, that’s for sure, but with a lovely herbal freshness. Kiwis and green melons, skins and all. Comments: you can feel a little fragility, but that makes the whole thing even more charming.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Caperdonich 29 yo 1995/2024 (58.6%, Artful Dodger Whisky Collective, bourbon hogshead, cask #95065, 308 bottles)

There ought to be quite a bit more oomph here… Colour: white wine. A whisky this pale after 29 years suggests a maturation that relied on time rather than on the wood. Nose: a very lovely composition, with white nougat, sesame oil, fresh apple juice (and above all unfiltered) and barley. A little latte or macchiato side. With water: closer to the earth, humus, mushrooms, mosses, in short, a walk through the forest. Mouth (neat): absolutely excellent. Pink grapefruits, fresh mint, liquorice wood, pink peppercorns, groundnut oil and pink grapefruit (you’ve already said that S.) With water: perfect now, lively, committed, motivated, assertive and close to a very good white Burgundy. There. Finish: rather long, on Italian lemon biscuits, macaroons, and a little roasted chestnut. An amusing Williams pear in the aftertaste. Comments: very impressive, we can understand why Caperdonich has its unapologetic aficionados.
SGP:661 - 90 points.

Gone Grant 30 yo 1994/2025 (51.2%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drinks, refill barrel plus 1st fill sherry hogshead, 230 bottles)

I don’t know whether Decadent Drinks’ use of the expression ‘Gone Grant’ is merely some affectation of Scottish urban hipsters or whether displaying the name Caperdonich is strictly forbidden. Okay, I’ll ask them. Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re fully on citrus fruits to begin with, marmalade, slightly peppery orange, then it veers towards even more exotic fruits, papaya, guava, mango, coconut milk… It’s difficult to resist all this fruity sweetness, especially as there are also touches of old-school IPA. With water: same, only a little oilier. Peanut butter, sesame oil. Mouth (neat): first syrupy, then waxy, then herbal, then spicy… it moves around a lot, with pink grapefruit as the common thread. With water: water calms it down slightly, and in the end it’s the oily texture that’s quite impressive. Almond milk, very light coconut, groundnut oil, lupins. Finish: rather long, with herbal teas rushing in and imposing their light tannicity. Comments: careful, as sometimes happens, reduction needs to be controlled almost half a drop at a time, it can suddenly ‘snap’ if you’re not careful. Otherwise, it’s a magnificent beast, and it’s time we paid more attention to Caperdonich. You’ll tell me it was about time indeed, given that we’ve already tasted more than one hundred and twenty different ones.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Caperdonich we've tasted