Caperdonich

The Caperdonich Distillery is one of the many lost Speyside distilleries that have remained unforgotten, characterized by its sweet and fresh flavored single malts such as the Caperdonich 1972 Gordon MacPhail. Founded by the owners of the Glen Grant Distillery as the “Glen Grant No. 2”, Caperdonich was established in 1897 to provide for its mother distillery’s expansion. Both distilleries were located in Station Street in Rothes only a few miles apart, connected by a pipeline which transported the spirit from one distillery to another. The story has been told that these pipes didn’t remain unattended by the locals of Rothes, as some of them drilled a hole in the pipe and clandestinely drained the whisky to serve themselves.

Unfortunately, the economic recession of the early 20th century didn’t pass by both Glen Grant distilleries, and concessions had to be made. In 1902, only a few years after its establishment, the Glen Grant No. 2 Distillery was shut down and remained mothballed for more than six decades. However, in 1965 the distillery was acquired by Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd. and brought back to its former glory, bearing the name of the Caperdonich Distillery.

The Caperdonich Distillery did very well under the wings of its successful parent company, producing 350.000 gallons of spirit during the first year of production and expanding shortly thereafter. Two extra stills were installed and the distillery’s equipment was modernized with the latest technology. In 1977 the Caperdonich Distillery was one of the five distilleries purchased by the famous Seagram Company, which eventually was sold to Pernod Ricard in 2000. Only one year later, Pernod Ricard sadly decided to mothball the Caperdonich Distillery and sold the distillery’s grounds to the neighboring Forsyth’s Coppersmiths. The old Caperdonich’s premises remained mothballed for about a decade, but finally were demolished in 2011.