Today I am tasting the anCnoc 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. The Knockdhu distillery is a whisky distillery in the scenic village of Knock in Aberdeenshire in the Scottish Highlands. Together with Old Pulteney and Balblair, anCnoc is owned by Inver House Distillers Limited.
Also part of the brand portfolio is the Hankey Bannister and Catto’s blended whiskies. Inver House, in turn, is a subsidiary of the Thai Beverage Company.
John Morrison purchased the Knock Estate in 1892. He saw that the surrounding land was ideal for barley growth and had an abundance of peat. It was also helpful that the Great North Railway line ran nearby. Shortly after he bought the estate, he uncovered a spring on Knock Hill’s southern slopes.
He discovered that the water had a wonderful flavour and sent it to a laboratory owned by Distiller’s Company Limited in Edinburgh for evaluation. The tests confirmed that the water was of outstanding quality.
Distiller’s Company Limited made John Morrison an offer for the site, which he accepted. The Knockdhu distillery was built in May of 1893. Knockdhu renamed their whiskies anCnoc to avoid confusion with the nearby Knockando distillery.
In Gaelic, the name anCnoc means “the hill”. It was one of the delicious whiskies I tried on my first visit to the beautiful Dullstroom and the Wild About Whisky bar.
Related Post: Glenlivet 12 yo whisky
REGION: Speyside
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: A light yellow wheat colour.
NOSE: On opening the anCnoc, there is an immediate aroma of pears. On the nose, there are cereals and oak with sweet smelling honey and spice. The rich bouquet of mixed flowers intermingles with the spiciness of vanilla.
PALATE: Without water, the palate is smooth and rich, with spicy notes of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon coming through the sweetness slowly. There are hints of fresh fruit and citrus. Adding water to the anCnoc 12 yo whisky softens the palate, but also releases more citrus, and oak notes that start to overwhelm the sweetness. Water dilutes the whisky a bit, making it less complicated and flat.
FINISH: Without water, the anCnoc’s finish is long and builds with honey and spicy notes. After adding a bit of water, the finish changes to a medium length that ends in pepper and citrus notes.
RATING: VERY GOOD
Is the anCnoc 12 year old whisky a knockout? Not entirely, nevertheless, it is an easy-drinking and affordable dram that should be in your collection. Just add water carefully or rather not at all. There is also the anCnoc Peatheart Edition that I tasted and wrote about.
This release has made it onto my Top 5 Single Malt whiskies under R500 list.
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I agree that this bottle should be in everyone's collection. Not very complex but a great everyday dram.