Field Briefs: Ghosts at the Swan Song; Caperdonich, Glenury Royal, & Hanyu
Here we have a handful of ghost distilleries, two from Scotland, one from Japan— two that closed at the turn of the millennium and one that closed during the early years of the whisky loch. It is not often I get a chance to try ghost distilleries, much less several of them during the same evening.
However, bars like the Swan Song in Singapore make it much easier. So carpe diem, seize the day, YOLO— when the opportunity presents itself to try a whisky well on its way to extinction, its best not to miss out. The Caperdonich and Hanyu were not bottles I had targeted or sought out, rather they were suggestions after talking with Arun and the staff there— the Glenury Royal was one I knew I wanted to try as I have had nothing but fantastic experiences with the long shuttered distillery.
Whisky Details: Caperdonich 22 Year (2000), Signatory Vintage Cask 29490 for Wu Dram Clan 3rd Anniversary
Nose: Big tangerine and peaches in jelly fruit cups, white chocolate and creamy cocoa butter, mellow hints of some funky-musty earth and sour sweat; tuile cookies and marzipan ushered me back in a more pleasant direction as if crumbled and scattered on a citrusy mousse.
Palate: Medium-bodied and juicy with boxes of apple juice, pepper, white chocolate, and woody tannins; more subtle herbal and floral notions with time as apple blossom, honey, and chamomile tea arrived with hints of lime.
Finish: Medium-bodied with honey, orange, and apple juice.
Score: 6 (79)
Mental Image: Pre-School Snack Dealer
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was loud and punchy with loads of sweet tangerine, white chocolate, mousse, and cookie crumbles. I love those big creamy citrus notes and was a bit disappointed that they did not translate over to the palate. The flavor profile was a touch simpler with a tidal wave of apple washing in wood, pepper, and herbal tea— it reminded me of the apple juice I had on the flight to Singapore with its weight and concentrated fruity sugars. Considering Caperdonich shared a campus with Balvenie and Glenfiddich, I could easily be convinced that this was a wayward Glenfiddich cask that rolled away and was accidentally labeled Caperdonich instead.
Overall, enjoyable, if not a touch simplistic on the palate. I imagine this would make for a killer highball, though I doubt many people are buying bottles of ghost distilleries to make cocktails.
Whisky Details: Glenury Royal 24 Year (1973), Signatory Vintage Cask 6851
Nose: A touch shy and slow to open up, but worth the wait. Stone fruit and green garden with dried apricot candies, jam, dandelions, and flower stems— green and only slightly floral; acorns and acorn jelly arrived later with orange cookies and marzipan.
Palate: Big and juicy with apricots and dried persimmons opening to hojicha and roasted teas; herbal and grassy with a touch of cedar wood, citrus oil, and hints of plasticine toward the end; musty and herbal in the background with more grass clippings emerging from the hojicha over time.
Finish: Long and lingering with green grape, orange, and garden stems.
Score: 9 (90)
Mental Image: Bag of Garden Clippings
Narrative & Notes: I wonder sometimes about survivor bias with these old ghost distilleries— every Glenury Royal I have had has been incredible. I loved the dirty grass notes and garden quality of the whisky which often come off as dank or roasted tea to me— an experience I have had before. This lacked some of the creaminess I encountered in pervious bottles, but tons of fascinating green stem and almost vegetal notes helped link layers of fruit and grass. The various elements were well-integrated and structured as everything flowed nicely between different layers with out any dead ends or oddities.
Overall, a whisky that rewarded patience— shy at first, it opened up wonderfully, evolving like a new friendship: from awkward uncertainty to warmth and collegiality.
Whisky Details: Hanyu 14 Year (2000) Cask 921 for Specialty Drinks London
Nose: Musty with slightly sour fruits and cream, more winter melon and pineapple, not quite sweet enough to be pineapple cakes, arrived with time as malty shortbread and fried funnel cakes developed.
Palate: Medium-bodied, big and woody with incense and sandalwood alongside oranges, bergamot, and grapefruit; more pastries and honey with time, dried flowers, jaggery sugar, and shortbread.
Finish: Medium-length with woodsy spice, incense, and vanilla.
Score: 7 (83)
Mental Image: Temple to the Shortbread Gods
Narrative & Notes: It has been a good long while since my last Hanyu—not since the beginning of 2018. So what to make of this whisky produced right at the end of the distillery’s life? It had some elements in common with the last Hanyu I tried and which were also present to varying degrees in the Glover 18 Year blended malt in which Adelphi paired Hanyu with Longmorn and Glenturret. Shortbread cookies, honey, pineapple— all of those appeared again and happen to be my favorite elements to find on Longmorn and Arran. Any whisky that reminds me of Taiwanese pineapple cakes gets a handful of bonus points.
Yet, this lacked some of the sweet intensity of those other whiskies, perhaps because the bottle had been open a while, or perhaps because there was so much wood to the palate. It was hard to dodge the sandalwood, cedar, and incense sticks that sometimes pushed everything else to the back. In that respect, it felt a touch unbalanced and off-kilter as if it needed time to mellow in a less active cask or— forgive me for saying this because I never do— a finish in some kind of sherry or wine cask.
Overall, solid and enjoyable— a whisky with a high floor, but not much room to the ceiling.
