Johnnie the Woodlouse

AnCnoc 12 - 40%

Where have you been all my life?

This is a distillery that intrigues me. It has quite an extensive range, a few peaty bottlings and a laudable pricing structure, yet I've tried barely any of them. I'm late to this particular party. I have missed the boat, been found wanting and have come up short. To summarise, I've clearly been living under a rock for the past few years.

 

A particular example of this is the 12 year old AnCnoc (or Knockdhu, for you traditionalists). It's the whisky equivalent of Miley Cyrus' nipples; much admired, absolutely everywhere these days and yet I have somehow never managed to get my hands on one. We'll leave that simile there, shall we?

Nose:

Light, fresh fruit salad. Pear drops to follow with that mild acetone aroma. A hint of cider vinegar brings a little bit of depth before being smothered by a pillow of toasted marshmallows. It's a sweetie.

Palate:

Hmm. A little thin to start with. The first thing that strikes me is oak and prickly citrus, followed by a heavy sweetness; think honey and barley sugar. After a while the pear drops evident on the nose make their way into the mix.

Finish:

Reasonable length with a drying sweetness. Becomes moderately spicy after a while with a build-up of thick citrus rind in the back of the throat - unlike any whisky I've tried before; the only way I can describe it is glace lemon peel. Very interesting.

Thoughts:

I'm surprised. At 40%, I expected something a little blander and flatter, but this is punchier than the ABV would suggest. A tad too sweet for my particular tastes but there's no denying that this is well made and flavoursome. Throw in the reasonable price tag and you've got a good all-round experience here.

Grade: B

A good entry-level malt, if a little unbalanced. I won't be leaving it so long to try the rest of the range.