Whisky Online Blog

Of all the distilleries I’ll talk about this week, Caperdonich is the most recently deceased. It started life in 1898 as a sister distillery to Glen Grant but was closed again only four years later in 1902, a victim of the Pattison Crisis. It would not produce whisky again until the boom era of the 1960′s when it was reopened in 1965 and expanded in 1967 with a second pair of stills. During this expansion it was thoroughly modernised, so much so that it required only two people to run the entire distillery, a feat from which the modern day Diageo probably drew great inspiration. It produced until 2002 when it was mothballed by new owners Pernod Ricard, sadly it was the only distillery in the Pernod Ricard stable that did not reopen after a brief period of mothballing in the early 2000′s, Caperdonich was demolished in 2010.

Caperdonich prior to demolition in 2010.

Throughout its operational lifetime Caperdonich did not receive much in the way of love nor admiration for its distillate. It was rarely available as a single malt for many years, even from the independents, so knowledge of just how good it could be was limited to circles of extreme malt fanaticism. It is also worth remembering that it was a malt designed as a perfect replica of Glen Grant, while it has notable differences it shares a crucial trait with its old sister distillery, they both need time to reveal their full potential. Like Glen Grant, Caperdonich ages beautifully and often shows stunning fruit qualities between 30-40 years of age. This aspect of the spirit is only really being discovered now after it is too late, largely thanks to many fairly priced and stunning aged bottlings by the likes of Duncan Taylor and Douglas Laing in recent years. How long these stocks will last and whether the latter years of production will be as good at the same ages is something that only time will tell. Still, it’s well worth trying some of these great old Caperdonichs now before the prices go too crazy.

The sample I have today is a slightly younger Caperdonich from the 1980s, so we’ll see how it holds up to the great expressions from the late sixties and early seventies.

Caperdonich. 28yo. Douglas Laing ‘Old Malt Cask’. OMC1923. 50%. 70cl.

Colour: Lipton Iced Tea

Nose: It certainly bears very striking resemblances to the older Caperdonichs at first nosing with lots of fresh garden fruits and some lively notes of wax polish, old furniture, resin, pine needles and orange tea (?). It feels younger than its 28 years, it is obviously very mature malt but there is a very peasant bite about the nose that keeps everything lively and fresh, there is no obvious woodiness so far or astringency. Goes on with notes of honeysuckle, a little eucalyptus, fresh butter and newly cut sawdust. With water: becomes very creamy and sooty with notes of leather, horse sweat and old fireplaces. Also becomes much more citrusy with notes of lemon curd, sherbet lemons and freshly chopped tarragon.

Palate: Quite a vigorous attack all on strong notes of boot polish and some unexpected notes of mushrooms, vegetal tones and some slightly ‘dirty’ aspects as well, something like pencil erasers and graphite. Globally very good though with nice herbal flavours and notes of orange bitters, cloves, cinnamon, hot toddy, camphor, mint tea and some waxy citrus rind. With water: Throws up some unexpected flinty qualities of granite and minerals, also a little more luxurious and oily, becomes quite mouthcoating, still retains that slightly earthy, dirty quality though.

Finish: Not too long but full of fresh cream, oranges, butter, honey and a nice woody/waxy quality.

Comments: I really like this one, some will probably be put off by those unclean aspects on the palate but I think they’re really enjoyable and playful. A good example of a mid aged Caperdonich, a nice mix of well balanced cask influence and natural distillery fingerprints. I liked how it did some very unexpected things with water but still retained its balance. Quite full bodied really, had some very ‘Highland’ qualities about it.

Score: 87/100

In conclusion: drink Caperdonich, but do so with an appropriate sense of melancholy.

I have managed to amass a fair few different aged Glen Grants in the recent months so now seems like as good a time as any to go to town on them. I love Glen Grant and there isn’t too much more to say on the subject so lets get tasting. (I sound like a TV chef)

Glen Grant ’170th Anniversary’. OB. Bottled 2010. 46%. 70cl.

Colour: Delicate gold.

Nose: Interesting, the nose would suggest a mix of teenage up to older GGs but it’s not fully aged in its initial profile. Ripe pears, lemons, biscuit notes and cereals at first. Lots of wild flowers and refreshing meadow aromas followed up by little hints of wax and polish, it’s starting to show a little more age now. Quite green and lively all the same though with aromas of freshly cut grass, limoncello, sultanas, resin and malt barns.

Palate: More youth on the palate but globally quite consistent with the nose with plenty leafy notes of fresh forest, many different citrus characters and something a little saline perhaps. Green, clean and zippy with subtle spices, dried apricots, all bran, olive oil, a little minerality and hessian.

Finish: Very gentle, slow fading and full of soft spices, little oaky tones, malt and floral aspects.

Comments: It’s a good, more youthful angle on Glen Grant but I think the marketing hogwash about the bottling being a ‘marriage of our most valuable casks’ is gibberish. We all know Glen Grant’s best stuff is the uber fruity old glories that we know they have some of because everyone else still has them as well. Anyway still a very pleasing, fairly flawless example of Glen Grant’s more ‘teenage’ side.

Score: 83/100

Glen Grant 1961-1983. 22yo. Nada Fiore. 350 bottles. 45%. 75cl.

This is another of the import bottlings by the legendary Nadi Fiore. I’m doing this tasting in order of ABV but I’ve made a wee exception here because if I’d put this before the OB 170th it would probably have destroyed it. Big thanks to Franco for opening this bottle.

Colour: White wine

Nose: OH Baby! Yes yes yes! This is seriously lovely stuff, old school to the max and packed full of all kinds of fruits. Different from the fruit bomb GGs of the early seventies, this is fruit wrapped up in loads of wax, minerals, cereals, gomme syrup, posh marshmallows, little bits of mint, shoe polish, steel, really delicate phenols and subtle vanilla. The fruit is all lychees, grapefruit, pomegranates, greengages, citrus rind and bitter orange marmalade. What a stunning nose!

Palate: A little soft on the delivery but it evolves some lovely old school flavours of creamy vanilla, steel wool, farmyards, minerals, muesli, satsumas, orange juice, grenadine, spices, beeswax, coal, flowers, lanolin and watercress. It’s not quite as stunning on the palate as on the nose but the profile is very old school and exceptionally beautiful in its fragility. Quite drying after a while but not cloying, notes of salted almonds, celery bitters, coca, mocha and hops.

Finish: Not the longest but big on fresh butter, minerals, grass, green fruits, olive oil and more metallic notes.

Comments: I think there is definitely some OBE in this bottling. The nose was utterly beautiful, worth 94 points in my book, but the palate felt a little weakish, like it had lost something perhaps. It would be interesting to open a second bottle next to this one and see if it has evolved along a different path but that’s a rich man’s game I’m afraid. However this is a minor quibble as the quality is still globally very high. Lets say…

Score: 92/100

Glen Grant 1972-2009. Berry Bros. Cask: 774/9. 51.8%. 70cl.

Colour: Amber

Nose: Mmmm, very familiar, old Glen Grant aroma, lots of concentrated fruits and clean oak in abundance. Green fruits galore, gristy, oily, lots of camphor and hessian with little oaky spicy notes in the background. The oak is well balanced with the freshness of the fruit here. A little minerality, lots of greengages, kumquats, star fruit, ripe bananas and pineapple. Now old malt barns, dunnage warehouses, vanilla and cocoanut. With water: Wow! It’s really amazing how fresh this becomes with a drizzle of water, lots of grass, fresh forest aromas, wild mushrooms, leaf mulch and wax.

Palate: Neat there is quite a pinsharp, spicy and very fruity delivery, the fruit is startlingly green and concentrated, big mouth coating oiliness and not single bite of oak at all, the wood gives buoyancy and flavour but in a supporting capacity. Wonderful aged notes of menthol, polish, varnish, wax, old attics, damp sackcloth, shammy leather and all kinds of rich fruit syrups. With water: More honeydew, ripe melon, glazed fruits, brown sugar, ginger and golden syrup.

Finish: Very long and surprisingly full of tobacco, spice, plum jam, black olives and lamp oil.

Comments: What can I say, it’s just great, fruity, old Glen Grant. Good complexity, perfect balance and very fresh. Not to mention perilously drinkable. This is exactly the sort of whisky that will be rapidly demolished with a few good chums round a kitchen table late at night. Love it!

Score: 91/100

Glen Grant 1972-2010. 37yo. Duncan Taylor ‘Octave’ series. Cask no: 444486. 71 bottles. 51.8%. 70cl.

This should be an interesting comparison as it is exactly the same strength and vintage as the BBR bottling. The ‘Octave’ bottlings by DT are whiskies that are technically ‘finished’ in tiny casks. Hmmmm…?

Colour: Amber

Nose: More concentrated wood at first, as expected, but also loads of wonderful varnish, pine sap, resin, fruit loaf, mead, custard and green fruits. Amazingly the fruit is still vibrant and intense,  the oak is more polished and direct in this one but it is still clean, pristine and balanced. Notes of raisins, figs, dates, sultanas, camphor, Mr Sheen, eucalyptus, darjeeling tea, mocha and toffee. Water really softens things out with lovely notes of soft fruits and raspberry jelly, fresh strawberries, fruit syrups and chamomile.

Palate: Neat it is big, sweet and the oak is more prevalent, notes of sawdust, armagnac, macaroons, pine sap, tar, tea tree oil, green olives, espresso and vanilla. Lets break out the H2O… still quite concentrated but the fruit is a little more relaxed now, more notes of campari, lots of fresh herbs, garlic, hummus, mandarins, bay leaves, resin, spiced rum and finally some more green fruits.

Finish: Not as long as the BBR, more on sawdust, oak, minerals, green fruits, more chamomile and damp sackcloth.

Comments: This is still pretty grand stuff but I think it is just nudging into the territory of being too woody. Anyway this is a mild quibble, there is still bags of fruit and flavour compared to most other malts.

Score: 89/100

Glen Grant 1974-2009. 34yo. Duncan Taylor. Cask no: 16577. 220 bottles. 54.5%. 70cl.

Colour: Straw

Nose: Interesting variation from the 1972′s here, more austere and even a little medicinal at first, this then gives way to green malt, wet leaves, cumin, white flowers, hessian, old leather, green fruits, quite a lot of minerality and some flintiness. Now notes of blood orange, marmalade, lavender, lanolin, coal and engine oil. This is much more industrial and arguably more old school than the 72s. With water those really delicate medicinal notes hove come back, little flecks of germoline with wood polish, green tea and very fragile menthol notes.

Palate: More direct notes of spice, big herbaceous notes, nettles, aloe vera, hessian, damp sackcloth, lamp oil, paint, then lots of green fruits and softer woody notes. Really quite interesting and individual this one. With water: more spice, vanilla, cereal, buttered toast, wax, minerals and linseed oil. Quite different and very entertaining.

Comments: This is either a very individual Glen Grant or it just serves to highlight how 1972 was a particularly consistent and charmed year at the distillery. Anwyay this is excellent in it’s own right.

Score: 89/100

Glen Grant 1972-2010. Speciality Drinks. Whisky Show bottling. 55%. 70cl.

Colour: Mahogany

Nose: Very different to the others, much more direct, polished oak in this one, then full on notes of fig rolls, black tea, dates, plums, various fruit compotes, antique furniture, eucalyptus, hessian, vanilla, massive green fruits, stewed fruit pie and pastry. The neat nose is so stunning I’m afraid to add water, oh well… with water: dense notes of pineapple tarts, baked bananas, aged demerara rum, snickers bar, coffee liqueur and vanilla sugar.

Palate: Neat it is immediately much richer than the others, lots of notes of jam, fruit compotes, strawberry granita, truffle oil, earl grey tea, pine resin, wax, leather, mushrooms, old sauternes, clean oak, bitter chocolate and dried herbs. With water: custard, lots of different spices, paint, menthol toothpaste, black currant herbal teas, various wood and resin aromas and big, bold green fruit flavours.

Finish: Long with plenty of all of the above still kicking around and becoming pleasantly drying.

Comments: Great, old, fruit laden Glen Grant. 1972 seems to have been a mega year for many distilleries, perhaps Glen Grant most of all.

Score: 91/100

Well that was fun but not really surprising, the problem with these old Glen Grants is that you know they’re going to be good. Mind you, if that is a complaint then it’s the kind of complaint I’d be happy to make every day. There will come a time when all these great old GGs are gone so we should endeavor to enjoy them while they’re here, and while they’re affordable.

Tomorrow: who knows..?

I haven’t posted anything for a while and the reason for this is that I have been heavily engaged in extensive and exhausting ‘research’ as of late. I am just returned/recovered from the Whisky Show and needless to say I had a blast down in that big old concrete and glass pancake they call London. Congratulations and the dothing of all kinds of headgear are in order for the good people at TWE and Speciality Drinks who organiised the event, it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone there that I spoke to.

Happy punters in the early hours of the afternoon at the fabulous Brewery venue.

One of the highlights of the show was the review pod, run by the good people at connosr, where you could review your favourite (or most hated) drams of the day on camera. It made for some quite entertaining nuggets of olfactory rumination over the course of two days, the collection features such luminaries as Serge from whiskyfun, Joel and Neil from caskstrength and even some gibberish from a lunatic in a kilt. Check them out here.

Of course I did my fair share of sample bagging while I was there. As a professional blogger obviously my goal was to sift carefully though all the bottlings on offer at the show and carefully select a mix of interesting new releases and fairly priced bottlings along with a balance of official and independent examples, with just a smattering of premium drams. Sadly my attempts to do this amounted to little more than catastrophic failure as I was seduced by ridiculously premium drams one after the other. I was a common sight, dashing about filling my sample bottles with every drop of amazing, rare and expensive liquid I could get my grubby mits on. So instead of measured, useful tasting notes in the coming weeks, expect to be bombarded with a torrent of gushing, praise packed, ridiculously over the top tasting prose. I was truly guilty of filling my boots, but what the hell, I’m a whisky lover, isn’t that an excuse for most things..? Anyway here are two of the most stellar offerings at the show, a pair of ancient Glen Grants.

Another in Gordon and MacPhail's seemingly inexhaustible supply of incredible old speysiders.

Glen Grant 1948-2006. 58yo. Gordon & MacPhail. 40%. 70cl.

Colour: Dull Gold

Nose: Immensely fragrant notes of wax polish, old smoked tea, antique shops, leather, old books, cigar tobacco and painfully fragile phenols. This is one of those utterly classy old school aromas that seems to come through so beautifully at this lower strength. Hints of aged sauternes and old liqueur with really pristine crystallized fruit. Just brilliant.

Palate: Feels like a bigger strength than 40, wonderfully dry and mineral with smoky tea flavours again and beautiful dry fruit. Hints of liquorice, lots of menthol and more really delicate peat, already a little metalic edge in there as well. Tastes like most pre-war bottlings from the same distillery. You could drink yards of this stuff it’s so gentle.

Finish: Incredibly delicate with orange muscat and more metallic notes. Tiptoes away like a ghost.

Comments: This is beautiful but also incredibly delicate whisky, I think this one really would have benefitted from being bottled at full strength but we know that will never happen with G&M. Anyway it may not be the best old Glen Grant ever but it’s still utterly glorious.

Score: 91/100

A very inviting 1954 Glen Grant by MacLeods.

Glen Grant 1954. 50yo. MacLeod’s. Bottle 37/100. Cask no: 3612. 42.2%. 70cl.

Colour: Amber

Nose: Much fresher and fruitier than the G&M. Lots of green and tropical fruit syrups with hints of fresh butter and candyfloss on top. Big notes of fresh mango, guava and chocolate limes, then some hints of older qualities like furniture polish and beeswax. Becomes more mentholated with time, getting more like the G&M in some parts but still much fresher and without the same peat qualities. This nose is amazingly fresh for fifty years old, the oak is so balanced.

Palate: Lots of menthol, toothpaste and chewing gum, with really ethereal fruit qualities. More fruit syrup flavours and big chunky fruitiness, mangos and lychees with hints of rosewater, this is becoming like a great old Gewürztraminer. Amazingly there is almost no overbearing oak whatsoever, a little soapiness comes through after a while but it is of the very fragrant, floral kind. Also hints of cherries, really gentle spice and cocoanut, this gets more and more complex all the time. Hessian, steel wool, soot, motor oil… ok enough enough. This is getting crazy.

Finish: Long, waxy and intense, a real mouth-coating fanfare.

Comments: If ever there was a whisky that showed just how amazing Glen Grant can be when properly aged then this is it! Is it worth the hefty price tag? Who cares, it’s beautiful.

Score: 94/100

No doubt there will be more useless Malt Porn to follow in the coming days. Slante!