Caperdonich Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & MacPhail (Bottled 1994) 1980

Few distilleries have been mothballed for as long as Caperdonich was. Founded in 1898 and closing less than five years later, the distillery was revitalised in the mid-1960s after over six decades of closure. The distillery was originally known as 'Glen Grant 2' and was built over the road from its sister site to assist with increasing capacity. Caperdonich was built to mimic Glen Grant in every way, the distilleries both used the same water source and even had identical stills. Caperdonich finally closed its doors for the last time in 2002 and has remained silent ever since.

Like most Scotch distilleries, most of the output was destined for blends, which in the case of Caperdonich meant Chivas Regal, Passport, Something Special and Queen Anne. Independent bottlings are available, but getting rarer as time goes by. Most recently, the Secret Speyside series brought together a number of age statement releases to great critical acclaim - including an 18 year old and a 21 year old.