Gunther is a well-known Belgian collector of Caperdonich 1972. If you visited one of the last editions of the Ostend festival you may have met him. His collection of closed bottles is impressive, but also the list of open bottles, and this led to the idea of making his own cask blend.
Gunther’s Caperdonich 1972 Cask Blend contains leftovers from over 25 different bottles (some split casks), including the most legendary ones like the TWA Private Stock and Perfect Dram releases, both Malts of Scotland bottlings, Duncan Taylor casks like #7460 and others. I’ve tried many of these but I must admit it has been a long time since I’ve had any Caperdonich 1972.
Caperdonich 16 yo 1972 (__%, Gunther 2020, 5 btl.)
Nose: confirms its reputation. Ripe apricots, tangerines, whiffs of pineapple, mixed with beehive notes: pollen, wax and floral honey. Some oak spice as well (pepper and clove), and a vaguely sherried touch in the background. The lightest mineral touch too.
Mouth: yeah, entirely on mirabelles, apricots (fresh and dried) and plums, fruit tea and honey. Some lightly resinous, minty notes and herbs. Whereas some of the best casks have this ethereal, fruity and tropical aftertaste, this evolves more towards darker sherry fruits and spice, with pepper and aniseed. At least two of the casks in the mix were first-fill Oloroso and this shines through.
Finish: long, with a return of the resinous oak, herbal notes and bright fruits.
So nice to try Caperdonich 1972 again, especially in this all-time greatest mix. Perhaps more oak and sherry than some of the smoother versions, though it has to be said there’s 40 year-old whisky inside of course. Only 5 bottles exist, don’t bother looking for them…