Most distilleries get on with creating whisky day in day out with little or no social media, anCnoc is one of these.
First lets clear up the confusion anCnoc or Knockdhu - the whisky was renamed anCnoc, Gaelic for "black hill" in 1994 to avoid confusion with Knockando distillery.
In 1892 John Morrison bought the Knock estate close to the Great North Railway. The surrounding land was full of barley, peat and springs of pure, clear water. With the help of The Distillers Company of Edinburgh (owners of grain distilleries Cambus, Cameronbridge, Carsebridge, Glenochil, Kirkliston and Port Dundas) he build the Knockdhu distillery in 1893. The first spirit flowed in 1894.
Unfortunately it was mothballed in 1983, one of many sites DCL closed when the ‘whisky loch’ was at its deepest. Ownership passed to Inver House in 1988 and 2001 to ThaiBev.
A semi lauter Mash Tun fills wooden washbacks for a fairly short 60 hour fermentation period. A single pair of Wash and Spirit Stills are used with the distillate being condensed in worm tubs and matured in on-site traditional dunnage warehouses.
Let's see what the whisky is like:
| Dram | Vintage 2000 14yo | 18yo | Peter Arkle 1st Edition - Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 46% ABV, Natural colour, NCF | 46% ABV, Natural colour, NCF | 46% ABV, Natural colour, NCF |
| Distillery info | Part of the annual vintage release of a 13-15yo anCnoc Vintage 2000 has matured in Spanish oak ex-sherry butts and American oak ex-bourbon barrels. Nose: Oriental spices, toasted vanilla and cocoa beans give way to subtle aromas of lemon grass, orange peel and fragrant cut flowers. Taste: Smooth creamy vanilla, spicy sherry notes, pralines and lively citrus lead to a long balanced finish with a hint of wood smoke. | anCnoc 18 Year Old has matured in Spanish oak ex-sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon barrels Nose: Gentle spices and intense sweetness of dried fruits are topped with chocolate, ripe oranges and oiled leather. Taste: Full-bodied and bold, aromatic spices, fruit loaf and candied lemon are followed by a surge of vanilla, honey and caramel. The finish transforms from peppery and hot to deliciously sweet and smooth. | Inspired by Scots born illustrator Peter Arkle’s visit to our Knockdhu Distillery in 2012 a limited edition to depict a unique aspect of our process. Matured exclusively in Spanish oak ex-sherry casks. Nose: Rich and spicy fruit cake aromas are complemented by creamy vanilla and pronounced sticky toffee. The middle note of freshly picked green apples is accentuated by just a touch of blood orange zest. Complex and satisfying. Taste: Sun-dried raisins and honey explode on the palate, followed quickly by vanilla ice-cream with hot caramel sauce. The finish is round and long, on the dark side of the fruit. |
| My thoughts: | |||
| Appearance |  | ||
| Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, form beads and fall as slow thick legs. | Light gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, form beads and fall as slow thick legs. | Mid gold in the glass, maybe a hint of red? Swirls cling as a thick line, form beads and fall as slow thick legs. | |
| Nose | Big dunnage warehouse notes, strawberry jam, dried fruit, musty books, dark chocolate and a hint of smoke. I know there's no peat in this but it sure smells like it! Nut fudge and marzipan notes add to the complexity. There is some spice here too - cardamom maybe? | Similar dunnage notes to the 2000 but much sweeter - the smoke has gone replaced by orchard fruit, fresh citrus and strawberry jam. The spice seems to have gone too - a much more gentle dram. Brown sugar and marzipan add to the sweetness. | This one takes the smoke notes up a notch even though there is no peat. Everything just seems turned up to 11 - the dunnage notes, citrus and fruit. |
| Palate | Thick spicy arrival, more curry type notes from the cardamom but then full on sherry notes - strawberry jam and dried fruit then sweet orange juice as the liquid disappears. A few more sips offer milk chocolate notes - the full on nuts from the nose have gone but there is still a marzipan note. | Thick smooth arrival, sweet nut fudge, strawberry jam and orange juice mix on the tongue followed by a gentle peppery spice. A few more sips share the marzipan notes from the 2000, a little orchard fruit - stewed pears and more of the spice. Yummy! | Thick sweet arrival, orange juice, strawberry jam and marzipan in abundance. Dried fruit, nuts, orange, orange, orange and some orange notes. A few more sips tip this into rich fruit cake territory with sweet candied orange slices on the top. |
| Finish | Long sweet fruit notes, a bite of spice leaving sweet honey and vanilla. Yummy! | Long sweet fruit notes, lots of peppery spice sweet citrus and vanilla. | Long sweet citrus notes, with a spicy tail. Yummy! |
| Overall | I'd tried the 2000 before in a Blind Tasting and been impressed, this second tasting just reminded me of how good it was but then came the 18yo - adding a few more years and another level of complexity. The Peter Arkle just goes a step further. All of these drams were really good - they just got better as they went on. They weren't sherry bombs in any sense of the word but all shared the characteristics - strawberry jam, dried fruit and berry notes. Dark chocolate and nuts suggested smoke but I'm sure there's no peat in any of these. The fruity orange notes on the Peter Arkle were immense but added to rather than overpowered the whisky. It was the only one matured exclusively in Spanish oak ex-sherry casks but the distillery character still shone through - definitely one to hunt out if you can. | ||
A few years ago I took part in the launch of their first 'modern' peated release Peatheart - more here!
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