My tasting notes from our long awaited anCnoc tasting. The 12, 16 and 24 year olds were sampled. All very nice indeed!
anCnoc 12 year old 40% ABV
Appearance: Light, diluted white winestraw. Nice swirl mark, developing into thin-medium legs.
Nose: Quite a sugary-sweet nose, cinnamon, some spicier notes, but faint. Very approachable and friendly nose. There’s a menthol edge to the nose too, a coolness.
Palate: Decent mouthfeel, quite oily. Bread and butter, honey and a touch of black pepper at the back of the throat. Very slightly drying, some citrus notes, lemon mostly, but maybe also some orange. A touch of copper accompanies a tropical fruits sharpness. That buttery element has been consistent
Finish: The finish is medium and well balanced, spicy but also maintaining the buttery element, along with fruits. Nice, very nice
Overall: A great start to the tasting, a 12 yo that packs a lot into it and delivers above expectation (mine at least). Very impressed and worth the wait! Also, for a sub £30 whiskey, VERY impressive!
anCnoc 16 year old 46% ABV
Appearance: A shade darker than the 12 (as you might expect). White wine, light gold. A smoother whirl line, giving the impression of a slightly more viscous liquid.
Nose: It is the 12 ramped up, which works well (at least on the nose). Sherbert lemons, confectionary sugar (a bit sweet shop). I also get a very slight edge of smoke.
Palate: Gooseberry crumble and custard. Butter, zingy fruits and sugar. That’s really good.
Tongue tingle and very slight dryness, almost not there.
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— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) April 25, 2021
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! #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/Iejh0CdJUm
I really like this one, lovely sweet and fruity arrival, great buttery mouthfeel and then the homely baked pudding flavours are working really well with each other.
The more you sip, the oilier and deeper the flavours become. The copper tinge experienced with the 12 doesn’t exist in this one. Is that ‘a thing’ with ageing perhaps?
Funk shows up at the end, this one hits the mark for sure!
Finish: Lovely long finish, filled with butter, fruits and sweetness. Very comforting and homely, also a really friendly whisky #thewhiskeychaps
Overall: The 12 is good, great for the money, this is VERY good. The only downside is that it’s discontinued! aaaahhhhhhhh!
anCnoc 24 year old 46% ABV
Appearance: Visibly darker and with a rose wine tinge. To the eye, the same viscosity as the 16yo
Nose: Again, the nose packs a decent punch, even for 46%. Plum, dark fruits and strong tea. There’s also more herbal notes too: cut grass and nettles even. Getting more berries now, sharper and fruitier than the initial notes. Evolving nicely as the glass sits.
Palate: Palate: Dryer than the 12 or 16 by some margin, the first thing that hits me.
Deep and rich, with sugared dark fruits galore! Lovely and oily (again), which is a really strong theme with these whiskies. It’s a very nice drop indeed. Blackcurrant all day long too!
BLACKCURRENT! That’s it, great shout @StillSurreal. Not sure I’ve had a whisky with such a strong note of that before? #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/pfDvfhzFwl
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) April 25, 2021
Finish: The finish is medium, sweet and full of dark fruits and richness. The blackcurrant and a touch of menthol take the longest to leave the palate.
Overall: Another cracking anCnoc offering. The only downside is that I now have to raid the piggy bank to purchase some bottles!
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