Kategoriarkiv: Knockdhu

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 24 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: A row of old and dusty leather books and a dense, thick fruitiness are the main focal points. There’s black liquorice, raisins and a mix of red ripe fruits and berries. The sherry cask influence is strong, but there’s vanilla and honey notes coming through from the bourbon barrels used. It’s not overly sweet and the differences complement each other very well.

Mouth: The sweet and spicy arrival comes with a base of black coffee bitterness. The old leather books is still present and the oak arrives after a few seconds. It’s very dusty and the astringency increases with every sip. There’s still a black liquorice note but the vanilla and honey has disappeared and the dark fruits have taken a step back.

Finish: It’s still pleasantly spicy and the musty dark fruit notes (raisins and now also almost molten plums) come forward. It’s still very dusty and the leather note is still present and creates a red thread throughout. The oakiness comes with black coffee and walnuts. It’s like old and grey, weathered wood planks. The astringency increases, and in the tail end of a very long finish it switches over and releases an assorted tropical fruit note. It really shows it’s age all the way through.

Additional information
This was distilled at the Knockdu distillery in 1992 and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 18 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a dusty vanilla and butterscotch sweetness filling up most of the center. It’s surrounded by a sweet dried fruitiness creating a thin layer. The fruitiness slowly grows bigger and mixes with the sweetness and becomes a bit darker than before. There’s also a mild menthol note floating around up above together with a floral note. The age shines through with a tiny smell of old furniture but it feels surprisingly fresh for its age. This is a pleasant and quite gentle nose, yet it still feels rich and balanced.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty mix of assorted dried fruits and berries with an outer core of honey and vanilla. It feels very big and it demands a lot more attention than it did on the nose. It’s quite spicy and there’s a nice texture to it. The fruitiness switches towards brighter and sour notes after a while. There’s a nice contrasting bitterness coming from an oakiness sitting way back on the palate at this point. There’s also a mix of kitchen spices floating around. It feels quite complex even though the baseplate feels rather simple.

Finish: The dustiness really comes through in the beginning of the finish as well as a spike in ABV spicyness. Once it settles there’s a mix of sour lemon and darker fruits taking over for a while. A black liquorice note pops up and so do the kitchen spices. The hint of old furniture pops up once again before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice and spicy oak with a hint of oakiness attached to it. It never gets overwhelming but stays for a long time. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer both as a sipper and as a tasting experience.

Additional information
This whisky was first released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and european oak ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Knockdhu, Speyside

AnCnoc Sherry Cask Finish – Peated Edition

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild peat and dried fruits. At first there’s a mix of fruits with a sour baseline and top notes of dark berries and dried fruits. Close behind is a mild smokiness with tobacco and a hint of leather. There’s also a generic sweetness mostly connected to the fruitiness. A hint of vanilla creates a thin line through everything. The sweetness moves foward and becomes honey with time in the glass. There’s also a menthol cloud above everything else. It feels very shallow and there’s a lack of background notes. It’s a nice nose but everything is presented up front as if it’s trying to hide something underneath.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness up front, a bitterness in the middle and a metallic sour note in the back. It’s very mild but a spicyness do show up after a few seconds. There’s a slight sprinkle of dust and a cardboard note within which is less than pleasant. The bitterness becomes louder as the peat and fruits move to the sides. It’s still a mild peatiness and a handful of dried assorted fruits. The bitterness seems to be generic, but it’s closer to coffee and cocoa than a bitter nuttiness. There’s a butterscotch note showing up in the mix, but it takes a while to arrive.

Finish: The peat and fruits stay at the sides during the transition and the sweetness goes away then shows up again together with the butterscotch. It’s now a bit further back than before. There’s still a metallic note in the back and the bitterness in the center. As the oakiness start to take over it merges with the bitter notes and create a nice enough oakiness. It’s not a long finish and in the end it’s just a dry oakiness and a metallic note left in the mouth. This is a budget whisky and it feels like the sherry cask finish is there to do a cover-up. It will work just fine as a background dram, but falls short when scrutinized.

Additional information
This whisky is made at the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in american oak casks and finished in ex-sherry butts. This is exclusive to the swedish market.

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc Peatheart

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Thick honey and savory peat are both very pronounced from the start. There is also a hay note coming from within the peatiness. In the background there are green fruits and yellow pears with some dust on top. After a few seconds vanilla and mint start to appear. The fruitiness keeps on moving forward until the whole thing almost becomes a peated dessert. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and it takes a second or two for the main flavours to push through. There’s a savory peatiness and dry soil and they both help create an outer layer. On the inside there are yellow juicy pears and lemons. The desserty notes are still there and the vanilla is now joined by butterscotch and a hint of the oakiness. It’s not as sweet as on the nose.

Finish: The spicy mouthfeel doesn’t carry over to the finish. It starts out quite dusty with dry soil and the savory peat as main flavours. The fruitiness is almost completely gone. After a few seconds a very clean and fresh oak note appears and basically takes over everything except a thin peaty layer on the outside. It’s a freshly cut oak with hints of hazelnuts. It’s still very juicy and there’s no astringency. This is a solid peaty whisky with a fruity heart, but it feels a bit undecided on what it’s supposed to be.

Additional information
This is made by the Knockdhu distillery and it’s part of the AnCnoc core range. The barley used has 40 ppm. It’s aged for more than 10 years in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc Cutter

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and fruits. There’s a quite hefty peatiness up front with green fruits in the background. There’s leather and a warm burning wood fire together with green apples and pears. It’s very bright and the oak is clearly detectable from the start. It’s a fresh oakiness. There’s a thin veil of vanilla appearing after some time in the glass.

Mouth: A peat cloud rolls by, then spicyness and yellow pears take over. The peat comes with notes of leather, grass and dry soil. There’s also a medicinal note. The vanilla is more pronounced now and tvhere’s a dustiness on top of everything. It’s well rounded and well balanced.

Finish: The peatiness moves forward once again and it’s got the same character throughout. The fruitiness is now a bit muted. It moves over to a dry, freshly cut oakiness. A touch of vanilla and a tiny note of honey comes through with the oak. There’s a very nice touch of a nutty bitterness. This is a well made whisky.

Additional information
This is made by the Knockdhu distillery and it’s a limited release. The barley used has 20.5 ppm. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon hogsheads. It’s unchillfiltered and it has natural colour.

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and floral. A big bucket of pears and green apples with honey, butterscotch and a speck of dust. Quite vibrant and youthful.

Mouth: Surprisingly dusty with the malt coming forward with the fruits switching over to ripe red apples and apple juice. The oak is there, but not overpowering. Very mild and welcoming.

Finish: Still dusty and the ripe fruits soon get overtaken by the oak notes. Hazelnuts, peaches and a feint coffee note complement the oak finish.

Additional information
This whisky is made at the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in 2nd fill american ex-bourbon barrels and 2nd fill spanish ex-sherry butts. Generally, it’s made by the ratio of 8 barrels to 2 sherry butts.

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 35 YO – 2nd Release

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ABV: 41 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded during the tasting, so just the impression was noted as a 4 out of 5.

Additional information
This limited 2nd release is made by the Knockdhu distillery. It’s been matured for 35 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and with natural colour.

Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc Black Hill Reserve

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
No tasting notes were recorded during the tasting, so just the impression was noted as a 3 out of 5.

Additional information
This is a travel exclusive release from the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in a mix of new american oak barrels and american ex-bourbon barrels. It has natural colour.