Appearance: Vibrant honey gold. Medium to thick trails form after a little time, quite ‘sticky’ and syrup-like in appearance. A decent swirl mark forms and starts to bead quickly.
Nose: The ABV is evident on the nose. Sugared cereal, wood spice, hone and red berries. More confectionary than other Knockdhu’s I’ve tried, proper sweet shop aromas. There’s a vibrancy to the nose.
Some spice becomes more apparent after a few sniffs, lemon pepper, cinnamon and ginger.
Palate: A nice oily mouthfeel, buttery in texture and initial taste, then a smack of ashtray (tobacco and ash) that I’m not sure of. A little drying initially, like dark chocolate, followed by light black pepper and pipe tobacco. Like other Knockdhu’s, once acclimatised, it has a very good balance.
Finish: The spice does build into the finish in the form of white pepper, hot cinnamon and candied nuts.
Overall: Each dram is an exploration. Some I love, some I like, but all I enjoy.
