Caperdonich Distillery — Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Caperdonich Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Rothes, Speyside, Scotland. It was founded in 1898 and closed permanently in 2002, with its buildings demolished in 2010. Built directly across the road from its sister distillery Glen Grant, Caperdonich spent decades supplying malt whisky almost exclusively for blends.

History

Caperdonich was built in 1898 by J. & J. Grant, the family behind the neighbouring Glen Grant distillery, and was originally known as "Glen Grant No. 2." A pipe once ran beneath the road connecting the two sites, allowing spirit to be transferred between them. The distillery's early life was short-lived: falling demand in the whisky industry forced it to close after only four years of operation, in 1902, and it lay silent for over six decades.

Caperdonich reopened in 1965 as a standalone distillery under its own name, driven by rising demand for blended Scotch through the mid-20th century. In 1967 it was re-equipped with steam-heated pot stills, and its layout was designed so efficiently that it could be operated by just two workers. Seagram acquired the distillery in 1977 and continued production largely to supply malt for blended whiskies such as Chivas Regal, with very little bottled as a single malt under its own name.

Quick Facts

• Region: Speyside
• Founded: 1898 (closed 1902–1965; reopened 1965)
• Owner: Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) at closure
• Status: Closed
• Stills: 2 wash stills, 2 spirit stills

Closure & Legacy

Pernod Ricard acquired Caperdonich along with the wider Seagram Scotch whisky portfolio in 2001 and closed the distillery the following year, in 2002, as part of a wider rationalisation of production capacity. The site stood mothballed for several years before being demolished in autumn 2010; one pair of its copper pot stills was later sold on to the Belgian Owl distillery in Belgium, while other equipment, including stills and a mash tun, was repurposed at the Falkirk distillery. Because Caperdonich's output was used almost entirely as a component in blends such as Chivas Regal, official single malt bottlings under the Caperdonich name were always scarce. Independent bottlers including Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory Vintage and Duncan Taylor released occasional single-cask expressions, and these bottlings — along with any remaining distillery-branded stock — are now considered rare and collectible among Speyside enthusiasts, as no more spirit from the site will ever be made.