AnCnoc Blas 54%
A limited edition distilled at Knockdhu and created in collaboration with fashion designer Patrick Grant, judge on The Great British Sewing Bee.
8 year old spirit mature in 50% 2nd Fill Bourbon and 50% 1st Fill Oloroso
Tasted: Mar 2016
The nose is quite spicy with an obvious sherry influence. The classic crisp barley and granity notes balance. A touch of vanilla appears along with some perfumed white fruit as the sherry notes move into the background.
The palate opens with the light vanilla and gentle sherry spices. It fills out as the juicy dried fruits arrive along with a touch of treacle and dark chocolate. Long and intensely spiced with lingering herbal, dark chocolate.
An Cnoc Peter Arkle ‘2nd Release – Casks’ 46%
A limited edition bottling from, produced in collaboration with Scottish artist and designer Peter Arkle. This second edition has been matured in a combination of ex Bourbon and ex Fino sherry casks for between 6 and 12 years, all selected by distillery manager Gordon Bruce.
Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Nov 2012
The nose begins a little high toned but it soon settles down into a more herbal-floral character. Superbly deep and fuller than say the 12 year old. Hints of baked apple mingle with the granity, juicy honey and barley, topped off with a smidge of dusty spices and granulated sugar. The American oak comes through with some butterscotch notes and with time it becomes exuberantly fruity with apricot and banana.
Wonderfully soft and lightly oiled on the palate. Quite herbal to begin with, but its not long before the granite infused honey appears, along with the toffee’d/ butterscotch oak. Some busy spice and citrus notes liven the mid palate balancing out the oak. Just like the nose the fleshy apricot and banana appears on the finish as the butterscotch notes return, finishing with a deft herbal-spiciness. Superb!
An Cnoc Peter Arkle for Travel Retail – Batch 1 46%
Btl: 2012/ Tasted: May 2013
A sweet and slightly sickly nose with hints of barley and honey, but it thin, lightly cardboardy with a touch of chlorinated fly spray.
The palate is sweet and vapid with hints of cardboard, fust and fly spray. Not exactly pleasant and I’m amazed that Knockdhu would unload this rubbish on the travel retail market.
An Cnoc 12 year old 40%
Tasted: Aug 2006
Massively malty, slightly grainy with loads of rich, creamy orange fruit, a slight perfumed note. Superb complexity with a touch of smoke, earthy manure and pepper.
On the palate it as multi-layered, opening with the delicious malt and followed by softly, juicy, slightly sweet fruit – reminds me of a good Irish. Good wood and good spirit combine well but it tails of rather quickly, however it leaves a lovely soft spicy after taste.
An Cnoc 12 year old 40%
Re-Tasted: Jan 2013
A lovely, firm and granity nose with hints of fern and pine needles. Gently honeyed with a hint of white liquorice. There’s a lovely depth of lightly fleshy apricot and lime fruit plus a developing floral top note.
The palate has a lovely purity, opening with the firm honey and granite. Very gentle with a touch of caramel oak. The middle displays plenty of crunchy, lightly granulated sugar coated barley leading into a lightly herbal finish with the granity notes holding.
An Cnoc 12 year old 40%
Code: L13/259
Btl: 2013/ Tasted June 2013
The aromas are very crisp and very herbal with some gloriously dense honey and oodles of creamy lime and orange notes. Excellent complexity with the oak adding some gentle vanillins along with hints of melon, apricot and white liquorice.
The palate is fresh and granity (as expected!) Very minerally and citrusy, but balanced by a lovely honeyed apricot and light apple fruit. Very long with hints of pepper and white liquorice before finishing with a herbal flourish and lingering granity notes.
An Cnoc 12 year old 40%
Code: L15/197
Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Jan 2016
Lightly estery nose of apricot, subtle banana along with a touch of barley and honey. It feels like it has put some weight on since the last time I tasted it, although it is still quite fresh and granity with late toffee’d oak notes.
Full and lightly honeyed on the palate. Showing a little more oak than I remember and it is quite toffee’d, but not overly so. Plenty of juicy apricot, banana and barley with the minerality coming through on the middle. Long, mouth-watering, granity and slightly citric with some lovely returning oak, and honey notes.
An Cnoc 12 year old 46%
Code: L16/246
Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Mar 2017
As expected the nose displays plenty of granity barley and what seems like some subtle sherry spice and dried fruit. I don’t remember the 12 year old having a sherry component!? Hints of white fruit and creamy American oak follow with a touch of malt and coffee.
The palate is crisp and mineral but very deep with honey, barley, white fruit, banana, apricot and a touch of straw. Like the nose there’s a subtle, but noticeable sherry spice note on the middle. Long and ultra juicy with lingering dried fruit, minerals, barley and American oak.
AnCnoc 2001 (14 year old) 46%
Aged 12 years in 2nd fill American oak barrels and hogsheads, finished 2 years in 1st fill European oak Oloroso butts
Dist: 2001 Btl: Dec 2015/ Tasted: March 2016
The nose begins a little austere with fresh, granity apricot along with hints of honey, toasted toffee and sherry spices. Lovely balance with hints of lime, lemon, greengage and subtle herbal Oloroso notes. The toffee’d note becomes quite creamy and with time a touch of digestive biscuit appears.
The palate is soft and barley led with hints of sweet-ish honey. The granite notes and alcohol keep the sweetness in check and beneath lies some subtle sherried dried fruit, roasted coffee and creamy vanilla. Long with lingering dried fruit, coffee’d spice and minerals. A real mouth tingling finish
An Cnoc 2002 (14 year old) 46%
American & Spanish oak/ Dist 2002 Btl: Mar 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017
The nose is rich and very honeyed and shows a surprising level of maturity. Hints of barley, pear, pineapple, cherry and orange blossom honey mingle with coffee, sweet wood spice, subtle dried fruit, liquorice root and aromatic herbal notes.
The palate is rich but displays a more mineral freshness. Again, wonderfully fruity with pear, apricot, pineapple, barley and creamy American oak. The sherried dried fruit, coffee and slightly bitter spice notes come through on the middle. Lovely length with the honey returning to balance the bitterness and minerality.
An Cnoc 16 year old 46%
American oak/ Tasted: Dec 2009
Lovely aromas of herbal-honey, crisp barley and yet more honey. Just like the 12 year old it displays that lovely granity edge. Some deft spices pass on by as does a developing creamy vanilla oak note and some late orange blossom.
The palate is gently oiled, with a beautiful interplay between the Bourbon oak, barley, honey and soft spices. A touch of light liquorice and toffee appears on the middle as does some delightfully, slightly floral, pure, juicy orange, liberally sprinkled with sugar, before the oak bitters and dries out the finish. And the fun ends there. Oh well, if only!
An Cnoc 18 year old 46%
Bourbon/ Sherry
Code: L14 297/ Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Jan 2015
Beautiful aromas of barley and luscious honeyed fruit – apricot, apple and banana, tangerine along with succulent sherry notes which add a touch of dried fruit. Quite fresh and granity as the Highland character some through in waves. Less heavily oaked than the old 16 year old that it replaces.
The palate is soft, lightly honeyed and toffee’d with a touch of sawdusty American oak. A touch of fruitcake and coffee follow, but just like the nose a lovely freshening citrus and minerality comes through to balance the oak. Very long and very spicy with a lovely, dusty spice finish and a lightly oxidised apricot and grape after-taste.
An Cnoc 18 year old 46%
Re-Tasted: Jan 2015
A big, rich, moderately mature, bourbony oak nose with hints of cereal, dusty spice, orange and dunnage. With time a touch of juniper, honey and coffee emerges and the oak becomes luscious and creamy.
The palate is crisper and sharper than the nose with barley, citrus and a light herbal note. A lot less oak! But it’s still there adding structure. Quite coffee’d and gritty on the middle as the tannins emerge. Long and herbal with a dry finish as the citrus scythes its way through the oak. Lovely peppery spice and coffee’d after-taste. In conclusion: A whisky of two halves saint! Big and oaky on the nose but crisp and fresh on the palate.
An Cnoc 18 year old 46%
Re-Tasted: Dec 2015
Mature aromas of luscious barley, apricot, apple, banana and slightly dusty American oak. A touch of subtle sherried dried fruit appears and sits beneath adding lightly burnt raisin, prune and walnut. With time some subtle granity notes emerge along with a hint of aniseed.
The palate is wonderfully soft and lightly honeyed with the mature American oak showing first, followed by hints of dried orange, raisin and sultana. |Refreshing citrus and mineral notes on the middle. Long, succulent and slightly spicy finish with the sherry notes lingering. Lovely tongue tingling spicy after-taste.
An Cnoc 18 year old 46%
Re-Tasted: Mar 2017
Initially quite heavy on the treacly sherry, malt and raisinated dried fruit. It takes some time and coaxing for the dusty American oak to appear and I don’t remember the sherry being so dominating from previous tastings. Finally hints of lime and greengage clear the sherry to allow the vanilla oak to come through.
The palate opens with the dusty American oak with hints of treacle, mature, baked fruit and citrus. Lovely, vibrant and mineral middle with a touch of sherry spice. Superb depth with the citrus and mineral notes following through on to the finish as the sweet, dried fruit and malt lingers.
An Cnoc 22 year old 46%
Bourbon/ Sherry
Tasted: Mar 2013
A beautifully fragrant nose of crisp herbal honeyed barley with an underlying, intense minerality and sherry spice. Inviting aromas of fresh, but light tangerine mingle with delicately sugar sprinkled vanilla oak, which in time becomes increasingly sawdusty. That gorgeous honey thickens and becomes more mature as well. Finally a light blossom note appears along with a touch of straw and tobacco.
A sublimely deep palate of gentle citrus infused honey and sherry spice along with some herbal nuances. Majestic and luscious with judiciously sweetened barley and a building citrus minerality. Soft, mature oak arrives on the finish but that fresh minerality holds. Superbly balanced and amazingly fresh for its age. Finishes with a light nutmeg spice note.
An Cnoc 22 year old 46%
Re-Tasted: Feb 2016
A Beautifully mature nose with that lovely aged tropical character – melon, apricot, acacia honey and sawdusty oak. Seriously honeyed with hints of barley, thyme, rosemary and fragrant malt. The sort of nose I could spend all day sniffing!
The palate is velvety and super smooth. The flavours glide beautifully over the tongue. Mature, honeyed and tropical with malt, barley and subtle oak. Mouth-filling and deep with a superb balance. Long and quite citric with a touch of coffee’d tannin and herbal after-taste. In conclusion: Simply gorgeous!
An Cnoc 24 year old 46%
Tasted: Jan 2017
A gritty, herbal, spicy, balsamic sherry nose. Primal and intense but overly woody. Late hints of dried fruit and milk chocolate.
The palate is treacly and coffee’d with developing, edgy, herbal notes. There’s a slight unclean note in the background and the bitter, but chocolaty tannins build. The finish is intense, dry, dusty and tannic with hints of orange conserve and dark chocolate. In conclusion: A few off notes let the palate own.
An Cnoc 24 year old 46%
Bourbon/ Sherry
Re-Tasted: Mar 2017
Spicy, dusty and very mature with the sherry showing Armagnac-esque dried fruit. Well balanced by some barley and floral/ estry fruit – apricot, banana, orange, sultana. Late hints of malt, leather and sweet tobacco smoke.
The palate is creamy and soft, but very granity. Hints of treacle, malt and rich sherried fruit follow. Lovely, vibrant, citric middle with a touch of dusty American oak, malt, leather and tobacco. Wonderfully mature and spicy finish with lingering granite, citrus, dark chocolate and coffee’d oak notes.
AnCnoc 24 year old 46%
Code: L14 334 1214/5432
Tasted: Jan 2022
The nose opens with a fair amount of Armagnac-esque mature dried fruit. The sherry is slightly gritty and almost rustic but it’s balanced by some lovely, softer raisin, prune and grilled nuts. With time hints of minerals, barley and straw appears.
Juicy raisinated fruit on the palate with again those lovely mature Armagnac-esque notes. Full and rich with subtle wood smoke and spice. Delicious dusty, mature tannins on the middle along with some subtle barley, white fruit, quince leading to a slightly austere, mineral and citric finish, which clears to leave apricot, apple and slightly dusty American oak notes in the aftertaste.
An Cnoc Limited Edition 1975 (38 year old) 44.2%
A vatting of three American oak and European oak sherry casks
Dist: 1975 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: May 2015
The nose displays plenty of sweet and herbal sherry with a touch of luscious, lightly baked plum, prune, malt and walnuts. A touch of buttery vanilla lies beneath and the aromas become a little manurey and quite nutty with time.
Soft and silky on the palate, if a little bland with sweet dried fruit, liquorice and treacle. Robust and clunky with building coffee’d tannins. Good spicy, mouth-watering finish with lingering herbal notes along with a touch of smoke and minerals. In conclusion: It really comes alive on the finish as those spices kick in.
TASTING NOTES – DISTILLERY RELEASES (THE PEATED RANGE)
An Cnoc Rutter 46%
Peated to 11ppm/ Btl: 2014/ Tasted: July 2014
A lovely, soft, fleshy and rounded nose of dense pear, apricot, pineapple, dusty sweet barley and vanilla. The peat smoke is quite gentle with a slight medicinal note and developing dark earth and liquorice.
The palate is soft and full. Again quite fleshy with plenty of fruity esters – apricot and pineapple along with a touch of toffee, vanilla and a little honey. The gentle peat smoke and spice comes through on the middle with hints of earth and leather. Very long with the peat becoming dustier and finishing with a fresh green apple note.
An Cnoc Flaughter 46%
Peated to 14.8 ppm/ Btl: 2014/ Tasted: July 2014
More prominent ashy peat aromas entwined with coal dust. The apricot, barley and lightly toffee’d oak sit beneath the manureier and darker peat presence. A little sharper and fresher than the Rutter with citrus and green apple giving it an old skool Caol Ila-like character.
Again the palate is sharper and crisper than the Rutter with crunchy apple, hard barley, minerals and lightly medicinal, tarry peat. A little sweet earth, tobacco and toffee appears on the middle. Lovely intensity and mouth-watering, fresh and medicinal finish with the citrus and peat in full flow! The after taste is pleasantly dry and dusty but a smidgen of brown sugar adds a little sweetness.
An Cnoc Cutter 46%
Peated to 20.5ppm/ Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014
The nose is fresh and honeyed with a light mentholated herbal note. Pleasantly fruity with hints of apricot and pineapple along with a light coastal note and just a sliver of peat smoke.
Heavier on the honey with a touch of coffee, gritty tannins and burnt wood embers. The dense fruit sits beneath giving the palate a good depth. The saltiness builds well on the middle and a distant peat note can be detected. Long and lightly oiled with a touch of violet and lingering wood spices. Quite a dry, salty after-taste. In conclusion: Very harmonious. The dense, fruitiness of the spirit gives it weight and makes sure that it’s not one dimensional.
An Cnoc Cutter 46%
Btl: 2014/ Re-Tasted: Oct 2014
The nose is intensely fruity and estery with banana, pineapple, apricot, peach and pear with a delightful castor sugar coating. The light, earthy peat notes float above this dense fruit base and with time a touch of vanilla oak appears too. A seriously good nose!
The palate is full and rich, opening with lightly oiled barley and sub-tropical banana, pineapple, apricot and pear. The dry peat comes through bringing a touch of coffee and treacle. Very malty on the middle with a long, herbal white fruit finish and lingering dry peat. A lovely peated Highland malt.
An Cnoc Cutter 46%
Btl: 2014/ Re-Tasted: Dec 2014
The nose is gristy and dusty with plenty of astringent peat. Hints of herbs, menthol and light tar appear. Pleasantly citric and barley’d beneath but the peat is the focal point.
Full and broad on the palate, opening with soft barley and lightly milky oak. The peat has a lovely sweet edge and hints of smoke, tar and herbs follow. Lovely, sooty and medicinal finish with a hint of citrus. In conclusion: The spirit has plenty of depth and richness to stand up to the peat.
An Cnoc Cutter 46%
Btl: 2014/ Re-Tasted: Feb 2015
A lovely soft and citric nose. Lightly estery nose of pineapple chunks, apricot, vanilla and light spices. Very fresh and appealing with a gentle peat note.
The palate is quite barley sweet to begin with a touch of soft white fruit. A touch of peat comes through on the middle with a touch of wood tannin. Lovely intensity. Long with the peat really lingering and now showing lovely dusty and earthy character.
An Cnoc Cutter 46%
Btl: 2014/ Re-Tasted: Sept 2017
A crisp, fruit nose of apricot, white fruit and minerals. Faintly briny with herbal peat and a lovely citric freshness.
The palate opens with the barley and a touch of straw, followed by minerally white fruit and apricot. Faintly herbal peat wafts through along with a touch of menthol and brine. Like the nose it has a lovely balance with the oily fruit coming back on the finish and the peat, although subtle lingering.
An Cnoc Peatlands 46%
Peated to 9 ppm/ Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Sept 2015
A fresh, granity, estery nose of apricot, pineapple, barley and a touch of honey. Hints of herbs and fragrant oak appear with later hints of heather and smoke.
The palate is a little oiler and shows a touch more barley and honey. Fragrant and herbal with fleshy fruit and a thread of peat. The minerality comes through powerfully on the middle trailing a touch of vanilla. Long, juicy and succulent and beautifully balanced. Lingering sweet oak, herbs and smoke. In conclusion: A classic American oak aged Highland. Just the sort that you should have in your whisky cupboard.
An Cnoc Rascan 40%
Peated to 11.1 ppm/ Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015
An intensely crisp and almost briny nose with green apple and a touch of honey. Not as full and fruity as previous peated releases. It feels more like the 12 year old with a little peat, but could almost pass for old skool Caol Ila. The peat is gentle and almost medicinal in character but it’s balanced by some lovely Sauvignon Blanc-esque grassiness, barley and minerals.
The palate is crisp and fresh but a little more sweet oak and honey gives it a fuller feel. Quite minerally with barley, apricot, subtle, smoky peat and heather. Like the nose it feels like the 12 year old with a touch of peat. Long and mouth-watering with hints of unsweetened pineapple and banana. The minerality really kicks in on the finish but the honey balances and the peat lingers.
An Cnoc Peatheart 46%
Peated to 40ppm/ Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017
The nose displays a fair amount of peat character with brine and almost, but not quite medicinal peat. Pleasantly citric with lemon beneath, along with honey, barley white peach, pear and hints of white liquorice, manure and creamy oak.
The palate opens with more estery, sweet fruit – pineapple and apricot. The peat is subtler and ashier with more of the creamy American oak noticeable. Slightly briny and medicinal on the middle and the finish is long and intensely, mouth-wateringly citric with a dry minerality and lingering peat.
An Cnoc Peatheart Batch 2 46%
Tasted: Nov 2020
An intense, phenolic and peaty nose with sugar coated lemon, white fruit and white liquorice. Slightly bubblegummy in character with late earthy barley, minerals and more lemon.
The palate is a little lighter on the peat and shows more slightly tropical fruit, minerals and sweet barley. Subtle sweet-ish peat on the middle with a touch of spice and oak. Intense salty/ mineral finish with astringent peat and balancing lemony fruit. Overall, the balance between the peat and spirit is a lot better than batch 1.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 