Today’s dram is a Caperdonich bottled by independent bottler Blackadder. James Grant set up Caperdonich in 1895, just right next door to his Glen Grant distillery, but the operation only ran for a few years and was not restarted until 1965 as a major whisky boom took hold. The distillery only shuttered in 2002, and was used for storage until it was sold to Forsyth’s to help expand their still manufacturing business— something that really took off with the whisky boom in the 2010s. 

Blackadder began in 1995, just a year before this malt was distilled.  One of the hallmarks of their Raw Cask series is the re-addition of sediment during bottling that had been removed during filtration— it’s a neat gimmick, but I am not always a fan of the textural element of the last few drams in a bottle.

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Whisky: Caperdonich 18 Year (1996), Blackadder Cask 82239

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 50.2%

Cask: Hogshead

Age: 18 Years (Distilled 16 May 1996, Bottled July 2014)

Notes: Blackberry, thyme, lemon, and spun sugar— the aroma put me in line at an upscale bakery and cafe with torched creamy sugars atop shortcrust pastries and gooey cinnamon rolls. A touch of spirited pepper, yes this was a ‘raw’ cask with subtle caramel, nougat, and candied dark roast coffee beans; at times a bit feinty. Medium-bodied and very mild on the palate with just a touch of spirited pepper toward the end, enough to remind me I was alive and that spirits were long used as a medicinal substance. The flavors were familiar with more cream, refined sugar, and a bit of toasted meringue. Citrus sat on the side, with other fruits not really in picture unless I went hunting. Herbal thyme and parsley still came through giving it a slightly botanical edge at times with a kiss of feinty spirit. The finish was medium-length with a touch of peppercorns, candied coffee beans, and licorice.

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Score: 6-7 (79)

Mental Image: Pastry Case Deep Clean

Conclusion: Not bad! I had low expectations coming into this Caperdonich, and this easily exceeded them. The distillery can sometimes be rather “anonymous Speyside” in profile, and while this certainly had a strong element of that, it also had some intriguing herbal and botanical character.  The mouthfeel was wonderful and the flavor mild, so was fairly “crushable,” or easy to drink… except those moments when it became a touch feinty and chemical, perhaps a bit too raw. The finish was on the shorter side of medium-length, brief enough that it was possible to forget what was in the glass. Overall, not bad, a fun whisky to relax to.