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Release Notes
We love finding great casks of whisky from "lost distilleries": single malt institutions that are no longer in operation, making their whisky more collectable and difficult-to-find. While the buildings at Brora and Port Ellen still stand today 30 years after their closure, Caperdonich, closed forever in 2002, was completely gutted and destroyed just recently. Nothing remains from the former Pernod-Ricard facility other than the single malt already sitting in cask. Much like its demolished cousin Banff, which we featured in last year's K&L single malt lineup, Caperdonich has a distinct and understated character that doesn't jump out of the glass immediately. It needs to be coaxed out. Our single barrel of 18 year old malt is a tease at first - hinting at supple fruit on the nose, yet lithely avoiding any serious concentration on the palate. Water is a must with the cask strength in order to temper the heat and bring out the nuance. With the alcohol in check comes the classic character of the distillery - grass, hay, and notes of pepper with more stonefruit. It's a keenly interesting whisky that offers a chance at understanding a fallen soldier. Again, the Banff comparison will be key. Some people thought last year's cask was underwhelming, others thought it was the best they had ever tasted. This year's Caperdonich barrel will likely polarize drinkers much the same, wowing those who appreciate delicacy. Like the distillery itself, it will be missed after it's gone.
K&L
A single barrel cask strength bottling of a 18 year old Caperdonich from cask #HH8695. 261 bottles were filled on August 2012.
Yours Truly
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Fresh and fragrant on the nose developing to a lemon and gingery spiced character. The palate is richly spiced carrying an oak and cinnamon quality... all running to a long finish with candied lemons, light camphor, more sweet spices, gently drying as it lingers.
From the bottle
The Distillery: Caperdonich
| Established: 1898 |
| Silent since: 2002 |
| Address: Rothes, Morayshire AB38 7BS, Scotland, UK |
There have been a handful of independent releases by independent bottlers like Douglas Laing , Duncan Taylor and Gordon & MacPhail, but those are fairly hard to find. Sometimes bottlings can be quite unique though, like a Caperdonich 10yo 1998/2008 by Alambic Classique, which apparently was made from a very rare peated batch. That"s the story of the Caperdonich in a nutshell...
Caperdonich distillery started its life in 1898 under the (relatively uninspiring) name "Glen Grant #2". Caperdonich distillery was founded by J. & J. Grant, the people that also built the "original" Glen Grant distillery in 1840. This brand new whisky distillery (which was built at the height of the whisky boom of the late 19th century) was conveniently located just accross the street from Glen Grant in Rothes. (Other neigbours include Glenrothes and Glen Spey.)
In 1965, after having been silent for nearly 65 years, Caperdonich was rebuilt by new owners (the Glenlivet & Glen Grant Distillers Ltd.). It wasn"t long before the distillery was producing whisky again; in its first year Caperdonich produced 350,000 gallons of spirit. In 1967, the Caperdonich distillery was expanded by the installation of two extra stills; two brand new steam heated pot stills. Furthermore a modern tun room was added. The installation of the latest technology made it possible for the distillery to be operated by a staff of only two people. A third of the required malted barley was produced at Glen Grant distillery; the rest was brought in from other sources.
In 1977 Seagram from Canada acquired Caperdonich distillery - before selling it on to Pernod Ricard in 2001. Pernod Ricard closed the distillery one year later in 2002, together with three of its sister distilleries; Alt A" Bhainne, Braeval (Braes of Glenlivet) and Benriach. At the end of the decennium Caperdonich was the only distillery from this group that hadn"t been reopened yet. The longer a whisky distillery remains inactive, the higher the costs of making it operational again. This sad fact makes it ever more unlikely that the Caperdonich distillery will ever be reopened again.
Nevertheless, during the early years Caperdonich didn"t manage to become as popular as Glen Grant - hence the closure in 1902. But that wasn"t the only reason - Caperdonich was one of the distilleries that was hit hardest by the effects of the collapse of the whisky empire of the Pattison brothers from Leith. The Pattison crisis was the start of a general downturn in the whisky industry; during this period the number of operating distilleries in Scotland dropped from 191 at the end of the 19th century to 132 in 1908.
Glen Grant Number Two remained inactive for six decades, but in the year 1965 it was rebuilt by Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd. who resumed production. The new owners also changed the name to Caperdonich ("Secret Well") - but this wasn"t entirely voluntary. A new law prohibited the use of the same name for different whisky distilleries that were operational at the same time, so the owners had to find an alternative for "Glen Grant #2".
Both "sister" distilleries are located at the northern end of Moraytown Village in Rothes, but only one of them operated continuously until the present day. Caperdonich closed its doors again in 1902, a mere four years after the distillery was opened. This "false start" in the Scotch whisky world was caused by the after-effects of the Pattison Crisis that caused panic in Scotland around the turn of the century. In a way, it was not unlike the credit crisis of 2008...
After the Caperdonich distillery was closed in 1902, much of the distillery equipment was transferred to the nearby Glen Grant distillery to be used as spares. When it came to the copper pot stills, this was easy enough - the size and shape of the stills at Caperdonich was virtually identical to that of the stills at Glen Grant. In fact, the owners of the distillery also used the same water source and malted barley supplier as Glen Grant in an effort to mimic the quality and style of the popular Glen Grant malt whisky.
Another reason that the resurrection of Caperdonich is unlikely, is the reputation of the whisky that is distilled there. Like the original name "Glen Grant Number Two" and the famous "whisky pipe" that ran between Capedonich and Glen Grant suggest, Caperdonich was intended more like a production expansion for Glen Grant, and not so much as a brand new malt whisky distillery.
So, it"s hardly surprising that Seagram"s used the malt whisky that was produced at Caperdonich distillery mainly for their blended whiskies like Passport, Chivas Regal, Something Special and Queen Anne. As a result, there are no official bottlings of Caperdonich. Well, at least not that I know of; there is one Caperdonich 16yo 1988/2005 (55.8%, OB, Chivas Brothers) on the MMMonitor.
In The New Millenium
- 2001 - Seagram"s (who acquired Caperdonich in 1977) sold the distillery to Pernod Ricard.
- 2002 - Pernod Ricard decided to close Caperdonich one year after they acquired the distillery. They also closed the three distilleries they purchased at the same time; Alt A" Bhainne, Benriach and Braeval (a.k.a. Braes of Glenlivet). Those three distilleries were re-opened within a few years, but the same was not true for Caperdonich.
- 2010 - I"ve heard rumours that the old buildings of Caperdonich have been repurposed for good.
Trivia:
- Caperdonich was a key component in some Chivas Regal blends - just like the Strathisla malt whisky.
- Caperdonich produced 350,000 gallons of spirit in its first year after reopening.
- When the Caperdonich distillery was renovated in 1967, two additional steam heated pot stills were added to the original two. Advancements in technology and a modern, state-of-the-art tun room enabled the entire distillery to be run by just one or two people.
- The famous "whisky pipe" which was placed above the street to carry spirit between Caperdonich and Glen Grant was responsible for an odd variety of the so-called "angels share". Locals took advantage of the easy access to this famous pipe, drilled holes in it and took spirit for their own. According to Lawrence Graham the legendary pipe was installed on the insistence of the British Customs & Excise.
- The water source for both the Glen Grant and Caperdonich distilleries is Caperdonich Burn.
from Malt Madness
The Owner: Pernod Ricard
| Established: 1975 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 12, place des Etats-Unis, 75783 Paris Cedex-16, France |
| → website |
HELLO WORLD!!! Pernod Ricard owns a wide variety of brands including: Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Seagram"s, Pernod absinthe, Absolut, Ricard pastis, Martell cognac, Jaconb"s Creek wine, pernod anise, Havana Club rum, Ballantine"s scotch, Kahlue, Malibu rum, Beefeater gun, Stolichnaya vodka, Mumm champagne and more.
Pernod Ricard came into existence when old rivals Pernod and Ricard merged to form Pernod Ricard S.A.. Ricard was founded 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard. Pernod started with Henri-Louis Pernod who opened his first absinthe distillery in Switzerland in 1797, followed by Maison Pernod Fils in Pontarlier. In 1926 these distilleries merged with Distillerie Hernard in Paris to form Les Etablissements Pernod.
After the 1975 merger that formed the current company a series of buy-ins and takeovers began that continues until this day. In 1988 PR acquired Irish Distillers which includes Jameson Irish Whiskeys, in 1989 PR acquired Orlando Wyndham (makers of Jacob"s Creek wine), in 2001 PR purchased 38% of Seagram"s Wines and Spirits, in 2005 PR purchased Allied Domecq and in 2008 PR bought V&S Group which includes the Absolut Vodka brand.
Reborn from the Pernod Fils company as a producer of anise liqueur following the ban on absinthe, it is now a worldwide conglomerate. It owns the alcoholic beverage division of the former Seagram corporation, among many other holdings. In 2005, the company acquired British-based international competitor Allied Domecq plc.
In 2008, Pernod Ricard announced the acquisition of Swedish-based V&S Group including Absolut Vodka.
Pernod Ricard (Euronext: RI) is a French company that produces alcoholic beverages. The company"s most famous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise liqueurs, and often referred to as simply Pernod or Ricard. The company also produces several other types of pastis.
from Wikipedia