The
Caperdonich distillery was established in 1897 as a back
up to its neighbour, the Glen Grant distillery and became
known as Glen Grant No.2. The two distilleries are located
across the street from each other at the northern end of
the Moraytown village, Rothes. The name Caperdonich translates
from Gaelic as "Secret Well" (the Caperdonich
burn) and is the source of water for both distilleries.
However the whiskies clearly differ, with Caperdonich being
lighter and slightly smokier than Glen Grant. It too is
a key component of the Chivas Regal Blend. The distillery
has had a chequered past – it closed at the start
of the twentieth century and remained closed until the distillery
was renovated as a new distillery by Glenlivet Distillers
in 1965. Two of the original stills, after being shut down
for nearly 65 years, were brought back into production and
the stills doubled from two to four! 1977 Seagram bought
Caperdonich who sold it to Pernod Ricard in 2001. Pernod
Ricard mothballed the distillery in 2002. The style of Caperdonich
is mild, well balanced and smooth, displaying hints of fruit
and smoke. |