XOP Caledonian 44 year Old Single Cask

Caledonian was a distillery I hadn’t heard of before until I happened to have a sample of a 42 year old single cask that was simply incredible and sadly found out that they had closed back in 1988. I then purchased this 44 year old which was distilled in April 1976, aged in a refill-hogshead (guessing ex-bourbon) and bottled in April 2020 at 52.8% hoping this would be close or even better than that 42 year old. This will be one of the oldest whiskies I’ve had the pleasure to taste, so I’m excited to open this one up and find out. The nose starts with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom along with a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt then a mix of cereal and fruit with Apple Jacks cereal, peach ring candy, lemon macaroons then roasted macadamia nuts and vanilla gelato followed by very light oak spices of a whole cinnamon stick, dill and freshly fallen autumn leaves along a hiking trail with light ethanol burn. The taste starts with a honeycomb waxy mouthfeel that coats your mouth starting with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom along with a pinch of sea salt then fruit notes of green apple airhead, caramelized peaches over vanilla custard, lemon gum drop candy then comes macadamia nut butter followed a mild tannic spice mixed with fronds of dill and freshly brewed black tea that slowly fades to antique leather armchair with light ethanol burn. The finish is long with honey suckle, orange blossom, roasted macadamia nut butter, vanilla madeleine cookie, honeycomb, mandarin orange slices, caramelized peaches and antique leather armchair that lingers for minutes. This is a delicious whisky that has aged well through the 44 years in the cask that starts with an aromatic mix of florals, toasted cereal, candied citrus fruits, nuts and mild oak that carries over to the palate but has a very mild bitterness mid-palate before dissipating into the long finish that brings back the pleasant mix from the nose and lingers for minutes. I was hopeful that this might be as good or even exceed my prior independent bottled single cask Caledonian experience, but that first single cask offering seemed to provide a better balance of flavors that flowed effortlessly with no bitterness compared to this one. Alas, this will likely be my last purchase of a Caledonian whisky, but it’s still an enjoyable pour that I can share with friends and talk about tasting a closed distillery.