Caperdonich 24 Year (1995) Carn Mor “Celebration of the Cask”

Review by: The Muskox

I’ve been very lucky to have a semi-regular flow of dead-distillery whisky delivered straight to my door. Caperdonich survived much longer than most of its counterparts, distilling all the way up to 2002. This cask was bottled for Whisky Fair Takao in Taiwan (hence the vaguely-sexy label).

Distillery: Caperdonich.

Bottler: Carn Mor.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 56.6%. Cask strength.

Age: 24 years. Distilled April 21st 1995. Bottled July 26th 2019.

Cask type: Cask #66026, a hogshead.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.1, Burnished. No colour added. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet and layered, somewhat shy at first. Honeycomb and shortbread. Creamy Earl Grey with milk and rosehips. Woody and spicy, with lots of clove, some vanilla, and toasted coconut. Complex fragrant fruit – dried apples and pears, peaches, lemon zest.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives bittersweet and malty – vanilla, honey pomelo, pressed flowers, almonds, toffee, Canales. Strongly floral and oaky on the development. Piles of dried citrus peels, orgeat, more roses, coffee cakes. Extracted wood oils. A very soft hint of peat smoke.

Finish: Long, moderately oaky, otherwise sweet and succulent. Varnished wood, well-worn leather, mild tobacco. Wine gums and tangerine. Thick dripping honey and custard. Lingering vanilla. Just a hint of menthol and anise.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Teashop, wintertime afternoon”

Conclusion: A fine drop. Don’t get too excited with the dead-distillery aspect of this whisky – it drinks very much like a well-aged but modern-style Speyside. I’ve had similar whiskies from 90s Glen Grant and Benriach, for example. The oak is very rich and brings lots of cream and spice but not a lot of tannin. Just the way I like it! The fragrant aspects play a vital supporting role to the wood, bringing an extra complexity that, for me, puts the whisky a step up from many of its peers.

Final Score: 88.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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