AnCnoc 16 Year old & 18 Year old Single Malt Review
AnCnoc comes from the Knockdhu distillery in Banffshire, so while it does classify as a Speyside distillery the AnCnoc brand are all labelled as Highland whisky, which makes sense as the AnCnoc range doesn’t really taste like the traditional Speyside style that Glenlivet have created.
Interestingly it’s the only distillery from Scotland that I know where the single malt is not directly named after the distillery it comes from (Edit: clearly i was having a senior moment here, Kilkerran is another example of a single malt not named after it's distillery, in this case, Glengyle). Knockdhu gets its name from the Gaelic of the nearby ‘Black Hill’. AnCnoc (pronounced a-nock) means ‘the hill’ in Gaelic.
The distillery opened in 1894 and the stills were originally coal fired but these days are heated by steam jackets and it worked continually until 1931 when prohibition and eventually world war and barley restrictions affected it.
It was bought over by Inver House in 1988 and was probably a bit of a sleeper whisky but was very much loved by enthusiasts. You’ll notice that the two expressions on review today are presented the enthusiasts way…at 46% abv, natural colour and non chill filtered. Unfortunately recently Inver House revamped the lineup and and have introduced chill filtration and reduced the strength of their younger core whiskies starting at 40% for the 12 and then 43% for everything else up to the 18 when it thankfully reaches 46% again.
The 16 year old I had is now probably only available via auction although thankfully I do have a back up bottle to enjoy and the 18 year old was a generously donated sample.
Let’s taste!
NC/NCF, all bourbon maturation
Nose: Very fresh & fruity – apples, pears, lime wedges, vanilla cream, fresh linen, malt and heather. Orange soda, freshly mown grass and salted caramel.
Palate: Crisp and zingy – has a Chardonnay like white wine note. Green apples, lychee, lemon & lemon citrus notes, sour candies and toasted oak. Icing sugar and vanilla. A hint of almond & puff pastry. Barley as well as milk chocolate and nutmeg.
Finish: Medium with plenty of citrus and orchard fruit plus drying oak and some minerality.
Score: 7 out of 10
Overall: A lovely dram and I can see why it is very missed. I’m lucky to have a back up bottle to open soon. It’s a shame that whiskies crafted with such care like this are not more well known or available.
NC/NCF, bourbon & sherry cask maturation
Nose: Toffee apples, raisins, dark brown sugar, nougat, orange zest and pineapple chunks. Vanilla pods, leather, furniture polish and hazelnuts. Ground ginger and oak shavings. Faint pepper notes too along with spent tobacco.
Palate: Feels a bit thin palate wise – Dry oak, walnuts and hazelnuts. A bloom of pepper and clove heat. Eventually we get dark brown sugar notes, raisin, a coffee note but none of the fruit the nose suggested. Some orange oil too.
Finish: Medium in length but stays quite dry, nutty and with gentle baking spice notes.
Score: 5 out of 10
Overall: An average dram for me. The palate falls short of the very pleasant nose.
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