Murray's retaste of Caperdonich 1996 Provenance Over 11 Year

[Quaich1]

I haven't reviewed and retasted this closed Speyside distillery expression for some time.

Here's my retaste notes from this afternoon for:

Caperdonich 1996 Provenance Over 11 Year, 46% abv.

Color:Light olive oil

Nose: Strawberry roll cake and carnival candy floss beckons. Lilly of the valley entices with lilacs wafting in with allure and charm. The sweetness on the nose is almost hypnotic. Watermelon sorbet takes a bow and flourish.

Taste: Medium-bodied. Pepper and spice with faint melon memories. Toasty oak and oak tannins explode and raise things up more than a few notches.

Finish: Long, intense oak and woody notes with strong breath freshening qualities. Roasted chestnuts evolve with a "sticky lice" (licorice root stick) refrain. A faint shadow of sweetness comes at the very end as deja vu.

Comments: This expression yields a captivating nose of sweetness that makes your mouth water in anticipation. This is actually quite an intense dram through the palate and finish. The balance is there on review and the complexity more than evident. Haven't had a dram from this bottle for some time and it has really opened nicely and flaunts its stuff more than ever.

Rating: 88
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"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)