Whisky Extravaganza, part 3: A closed distillery worth tracking?

Following up  on last week’s dive into closed distilleries, I’m going to spend a bit of time talking about closed distilleries who might be worth keeping an eye out for.  Not necessarily because what they have to offer is always and under any given circumstance exceptionally good or worth the asking price, but more in a way of potentially delivering value for money. By which I mean that they MIGHT be worth coughing up the extra money for because of the ‘rarity’ or ‘scarcity’ aspect that comes with them, on top of their level of quality. I hope this makes sense.

Anyway, those of you who tend to expand their whisky hunting grounds beyond go to stores and/or websites by regularly or occasionally keeping track of what’s going on at auction sites, will have likely seen quite a few bottles from closed distilleries pop up left right and centre. Out of interest (and possibly a good dose of naivety) I tend to add these to my favourites list, so I can keep an easy track on them and see where they go, price wise, in the hope of snagging something of a bargain. ‘Fruitless’ is possibly the best way to describe my efforts here; as they tend to cruise well out of my financial comfort zone. Be it Littlemill, Glen Mhor, Glenesk or another Convalmore: I tend to set my bar somewhere around €200, including all costs, and so far my attempts have been proven feeble, futile and  utterly unsuccessful. So with that in mind, I don’t need to tell you I don’t even bother going after something with Rosebank, Ladyburn or St Magdalene on the label, let alone the ‘resurrected three’.  

While I am excited about these revived distilleries, be it from Rosebank or the illustrious Brora and Port Ellen, I for one am not holding my breath expecting that what will be released from these resurrected booze plants in years to come will also be even remotely affordable. Not those ‘inaugural’ releases, anyway. There’s talk (more than talk, from what I understand) to bring back Dallas Dhu (which wasn’t as such mothballed, but merely saw production come to a stop and now serves as a completely intact, yet inactive whisky museum)  so as things stand that might be our best chance at trying something from a ‘phoenix’ distillery somewhere in the (near) future. Earlier this year, Aceo, the company behind indie bottler Murray McDavid have announced their plans to combine the best of several worlds, as Dallas Dhu will maintain its museal/educational function (showcasing not just how whisky was made a century ago but also the circumstances under which this happened) alongside becoming active again, with a contemporary visitor centre attached to it.

 However, there are also still a few closed/mothballed or even demolished  distilleries where we, on occasion, will see something being released that’s not completely bonkers in terms of pricing.  Cambus is obviously one of them, albeit they are of course a grain distillery. When lucky, the aforementioned  Imperial can be found for ‘reasonable’ prices too, but if you want to try something from a closed distillery that’s not breaking the bank, possibly Caperdonich is your best chance to do so.

Caperdonich 20 yo (1996-2017), Cadenhead's release. Hogshead matured, 46.4% ABV.

Caperdonich was founded in the same years as Imperial (1897), by the owners of Glen Grant and was initially just called ‘Glen Grant II’ as it was built just on the other side of the road as the original distillery. It suffered the same consequences as Imperial (and several others) for being opened at the wrong time and 5 years after opening, it got  mothballed for a very, very long time- almost as if everyone had forgotten that it still existed as it took 60 years to oil the clogs and fire up the stills again. The boom of the sixties brought new life to Glen Grant II, and the distillery was expanded with an extra set of stills, but had to wait until 1977 before finally being given its own proper name. It was sold on in 2001 tot Chivas Brothers, who subsequently  closed it down again a year later. Chivas then got rid of it altogether, selling on the site to next door neighbours Forsyth stills. Some of Caperdonich lives on, however, as one set of their stills was sold to Belgian distillery The Owl, while the other pair as well as their mash tun  found a new home at the recently  opened (in 2020) Falkirk distillery, before  what remained of the distillery was demolished to allow Forsyths to expand their business.

Chivas (Pernod Ricard) still has stock left and regularly release official bottlings of Caperdonich, both peated an unpeated. Last year, a 21 year old was released at 48% ABV, and just before that, an 18 year old as well. Both are aimed for the Travel retail market, but can be found on auctions regularly. Prices tend to be reasonable still, as in: somewhere between €150 and €250.

Today’s sample, however, comes courtesy of the wonderful Martin Logan, who works in the retail business of wine and spirits in Paris. He managed to bag this one at an auction for around €140  (although asking prices can creep up to double that)  and has generously offered me a sample of it. Merci, Martin!

Nose

A bit closed at first, with a mixture of shy citrus notes (lemon and orange peel and orange marmalade) and garden herbs (parsley). Hints of floral things (both fresh cut flowers and more greenhouse plants). A whiff of clove and ginger and something reminiscent of mint and eucalyptus, leaning into a woody element (more bark like than actual wood or oak).

Palate

The wood influence is a bit more noticeable on the tongue, as are the ginger, pepper, nutmeg  and clove notes. Surprisingly, it feels a bit ‘prickly’ too. Again, those citrus notes with lemon and orange peel. Mid palate the herbal elements show up, balanced nicely against a medium full mouthfeel that turns ever so softly bitter.

Finish

Quite drying, long and lingering.

Final thoughts

Just like with the Imperial last week, the hogshead hides the age of this whisky a bit. But please don’t be fooled thinking this would come across as a young whisky, just because there seems to be quite some spirit character to be found here. It’s the subtle way in which everything is integrated which tells you the true nature of this beautifully balanced, well rounded yet still somewhat playful whisky.

If you consider today’s prices for some of the whiskies out there released by active distilleries, getting your hands on some well-aged Caperdonich seems well withing reach for those of us  keeping a close eye on what they want to spend on a bottle of whisky. Don’t get me wrong, €150 or so for a bottle of whisky is by no means cheap, but if you want to ‘experience’ what it’s like to sip and savour something that will sooner or later be gone forever, distilleries the likes of Caperdonich might well worth keeping an eye out for.

Next week: quite old Islay! But before you go: last call to vote for the 2024 OSWA’s if you haven’t already or would like to adjust your votes. You have until Sunday the 20th…