Review 205: anCnoc 16 Year

Review 205

3/7/14

anCnoc 16 Year: 46% abv

Background: In Review 167, we raved about the affordably reasonable anCnoc 12 Year, and how it made a case as the new staple whisky in your cabinet. Next in line in the anCnoc range is their 16 Year. KCM views this whisky as part of a dying breed, which is why this review is so important to us. At a very reasonable price of about $65 and being 16 Years old, not to mention being 46%, non chill-filtered and natural color, this whisky is truly a phenomenal offering. It is a Bourbon-barrel aged single malt from Heaven. We are wondering if whiskies like this will even exist in the next 5 years. Distilleries are driving up prices and tearing the age statements off of their whiskies for more preferable NAS ambiguity. It starts as limited releases with whimsical names, but distilleries like Macallan have taken it a step further, replacing their standard range with these mysterious no-age whiskies. anCnoc should be praised for offering a Scotch like this. Next step is to review what makes this whisky such a gem.

Straight

Nose: The nose on this whisky is undoubtedly fresh and crisp. There is a similar, beautiful maltiness in the aroma as is present in the 12 Year. That being said, the 16 Year is much more coastal, with a prominent salty seaweed smell layering into the whisky. Interestingly, you can also find a sweet, honeydew and watermelon fruitiness in this whisky, mixed in with some clove and cumin spiciness. Additionally, dry wheat and marzipan also complement the slurry of smells present in this Scotch. The nose is well diversified, complex, and dense. It displays a wide spectrum of aromas that evoke images of tropical paradise.

Arrival: The arrival starts light and soft, portraying a subtle vanilla bean and malt flavor. A slight spiciness will creep into the flavor as the whisky opens up. There is a creamy, buttery flavor in the arrival, with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg coming through later. There is slight fruitiness, with succulent apples and sweet melon that carries into the body. After a few sips, a more salty, peppery flavor becomes pronounced.

Body: The body takes on a blend of salty coastal character and a sweet, fruity flavor. The maltiness is lost in the body and the whisky takes a more bitter, vegetal personality. There is a sound dosage of spices that comes through in the body, with warm cinnamon and cloves.

Finish: The finish ends with a mixture of spices, saltiness, and sweet fruits. It balances well with all of these characteristics, and none seem to over-dominate. The 46% is most pronounced here. The melon character is more prevalent here than in the body, but seems to battle with a peppery, dry finish. There is a dry malty, oak-like character in the finish, with hot spices layering on top. There is an ashy, oak char flavor that works its way into the whisky pretty successfully after a few sips as well.

With Water

Nose: After adding some water, the nose brings out a more custard-like, fruit-yogurt smell, while letting the intense spiciness get a little more bold. There is a little more harsh grain in the whisky at this point as well. Some of the vanilla is pulling through now as well. The whisky is still pleasantly balanced, but the nose seems more harsh now, with a bit more tart sourness in the fruit flavors.

Arrival: There is a much more bold malt flavor in the arrival now, which suits the anCnoc character very well. There is still some spice, and the melon has backed off in the arrival.

Body: The body shows off some beautiful lime flavor (maybe like a key lime pie?), but not in an uncomfortably tart way. This plays along with the gorgeous malty flavor.

Finish: The coastal flavor in the whisky is really coming out now, with the intense spiciness backing off. Between the melon and tart fruits and the sea salt flavors, the balance of this whisky is more enjoyable and the alcohol less noticeable. There is a little bit of smoke that plays into the finish, but it isn’t horribly dominant. It is also a fairly herbal, vegetal finish, containing some fresh mint and parsley. 

Final Comments: This is another wallop of a whisky from anCnoc. There is really an enjoyable, complex whisky with a great spectrum of flavors. It also provides a substantial amount of contrast from the 12 Year. If you get the opportunity to try this, we would recommend it. On the other side of the coin, this can be an intense whisky if you aren’t used to the high content. Again, it is a shame that we feel like teenage whiskies at an affordable price and going extinct, when stuff like this is affordable and amazing. Hopefully we are wrong in that projection, but while this is still available, find it and love it.

 

Why you’d buy it: You like a good well-rounded Highland malt

                                                                                                          

Why you wouldn’t: You are willing to go for an Old Pulteney 17 Year

Score:  9.25/10

Review 167: anCnoc 12 Year

Review 167

6/18/13

anCnoc 12 Year: 43% abv

Background: Let’s get this straightened out: anCnoc (meaning “the hill” in Gaelic) is pronounced a-nock. The namesake of anCnoc has not been around for that long, but the whisky itself has been around for quite some time. That’s because anCnoc whisky is formerly known as Knockdhu Scotch, which comes from the Knockdhu Distillery, in Knock, Scotland (Knock on wood…). In 1994, the distillery stopped calling its whisky Knockdhu, because the distillery was being confused with Knockando Distillery. In 1894, the distillery was founded. They currently have about 1.7M liters of capacity, and from an outsider’s perspective, they are gaining presence. The 12 Year is one of two regular main stays in the reasonable price range, with the 16 Year being its right-hand man.  So reasonable is this whisky, it sits alongside the Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, and Macallan 10 price range. So does it warrant you moving away from these classics to potentially adopt a new staple into the liquor cabinet?

Straight

Nose: You might get some green fruits of the nose of this whisky. The two we thought of immediately were white wine and pears. You will definitely find a malty character to the aroma, complimented by a natural wheat flavor in the background. The vanilla character associated with this Scotch is pretty dominant, and ultimately you do not suspect the influence of peat or sherry in this whisky. It would be safe to say that there is not much influence outside of bourbon casks. There is, however, a very subtle salt note that comes through in the back of the nose. Even to an extent, there is some agave coming through as well. After further analysis, there is a noticeable piece of ginger aroma within the AnCnoc.

Arrival: Well, if you like malt, you won’t be disappointed here. This is an absolutely fantastic blast of malt flavor right in the front; this is a pure, creamy and malty flavor, which feels like the perfect flavor extraction from the distillation process. I might venture a guess that this would actually make for decent white whisky. There is a sense of dried fruit, oak, and vanilla that come through. There is a tart flavor that comes through as well. There is a mysterious spiciness that will be evoked in the arrival as the single malt opens up.

Body: There is still some good maltiness in the body, but there is an addition of wheat, vanilla, cream, and even some saltiness. The evolution is quite smooth, but also noticeable. It is an oxymoron of dynamic and subtle at the same time. It is ultimately incredibly smooth. There is a sense of pear in the body as well. There is a sense of slight tartness in the body, which carries over from the arrival.

           

Finish: You would never guess it, but you guessed it. This finish is super malty, with some earthy, floral notes involved too. The vanilla is dominant, along with some residual tartness, subtle wood flavor, and a long lasting creaminess that almost reminds you of ice cream. Right from the body into the finish, you will find a Laffy Taffy banana flavor that jumps in, which is a weird descriptor, but truly hits the nail on the head. As an accent note, there is a very negligible, almost invisible note of smokiness that comes through in the finish.

With Water

Nose: The nose, although quite similar, brings forward some of the more dominant flavors of the Scotch. There is a sense of lemon that starts coming through, accompanied by a candy sweetness. There is more floral harshness in the nose with a significant vegetal quality, but it still retains the sweetness from before.

Arrival: The arrival is pretty similar to before, with the thought that maybe there is a slight increase in woodiness.

Body: There is a small amount of spiciness into the body that wasn’t as prominent as before. This isn’t necessarily a black pepper spice, but something more hot and flavorful, without breaching the realm of red pepper potency.

           

Finish: The finish comes across as a little less prominent than before, without much flavor change. It is a softer ending, but not too much shorter. The vegetal earthiness that comes through in the finish is a little more dominant now than before water.  

Final Comments: Yes. This will replace Macallan 10, it will replace Glenfiddich 12, and it will DEFINITELY replace Glenlivet 12. Take the price out of the equation for a second. The quality of this whisky is great, no matter what the age or the price is. It tastes fresh, but the creamy, pure malt flavor feels like exactly what good distillation should be. The complexity of this whisky isn’t groundbreaking, but that doesn’t mean it is dull. The whisky takes a contradictory path of smooth, mellow character met with deep, engaging flavor. We truly enjoyed this single malt a lot, and to be honest, it is almost TOO easy to drink. For the price, it is a must try. We would advise you to review the flavors, to understand what you’re buying, because unlike Glenfiddich or Glenlivet, this is not as much about dark, rich fruit flavor, but rather crisp, fresh, but slightly dried fruit flavors with a super blast of maltiness. If you like a dram of Glen Grant 10, this should definitely be on your list.

 

Why you’d buy it: It is good.

Why you wouldn’t: I don’t know.

Score: 8.75/10