Scotland, Speyside. Distillery closed.

Known until 1965 as Glen Grant #2, Caperdonich was the embodiment of a blender's malt. Built in 1898 just opposite Glen Grant, its owners (J&J Grant, Glen Grant Distillery) made use of it for only a few years before closing it down. When it reopened in 1965, it underwent major restoration and played a key role in the development of the Chivas Regal blend. From this period, only one 5 year old official bottling is still known. It would then not be until the turn of the 21st century, when Pernod Ricard became the owner in 2001 (before mothballing the site in 2002), that a handful of bottlings would be released in the Distillery Reserve Collection and Small Batch Release ranges. A truly endangered distillery!

A Caperdonich 35 year old small batch distilled in 1977 and bottled in 2013 by Cadenhead. Cadenhead was founded in 1842 by George Duncan. He was soon joined by William Cadenhead, who renamed the business following Duncan’’s death in 1858. When Cadenhead in turn passed away in 1904, his nephew Robert Duthie took over and turned the business into the independent bottler it is today. After Duthie, it was managed by one of his employees, Ann Olivier, whose stubborn approach to running the business led to much of the stock having to be sold at auction by Christie’’s (London) in 1972 to feed the kitty and save the business. It was then sold to J. & A. Mitchell and Co, who also owned Springbank, and moved to Campbeltown. A limited edition of 384 bottles.