Distillery: Knockando
Owner: Diageo plc
Type: Single Malt Report
Region: Speyside (Central)
Type: Single Malt Report
Region: Speyside (Central)
Age: 12 years (1999-2011)
Maturation: primarily ex-bourbon casks with a smaller amount of ex-sherry casks
Chill-filtration? Yes
Caramel colored? Yes
Caramel colored? Yes
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
The color is DiageoGold™. Large quantities of barley and yeast in the nose, and a hell of a lot of honey. Some notes of apples, fresh pears, orange hard candies, vanilla, and marzipan. Some nuts, cigar tobacco, and cocoa from the sherry casks (probably). An occasional gritty note. With time in the glass, the whisky develops notes of dried berries, dried grass, and tangerines. At first the palate is lightly smoky, with some salty butter and something a little dirty (literally dirt). There are smaller notes of oak spice, lemons, sweet wine, and pilsner. After some time in the glass, the whisky gets a little creamier, the lemons becoming lemon bars. Some sugary frosting, orange pulp, walnuts, honey, and burnt barley emerge as well. A hint of the honey. The dusty/toasty/burnt thing sticks around into the finish. There are also some oranges, black peppercorns, honey, and vanilla. In later sips, the citrus grows as does a jasmine-like note. A moderate length finish overall.
As I hinted at in the intro, the whisky really grew on me. It's very pleasant and barley-forward. It's not actually complex, but I did two different tasting sessions, which is why there's a pile of tasting notes. I also wrote down, "Would be great with a beer." It would be even better at a $30-$35 price point -- as it is in much of Europe -- since it's a small step up from Glenfiddich 12 and probably comparable quality-wise to Tomatin 12. Hell, if J&B included more of this in their bland blend, I'd buy that as well. But that's not happening, so maybe someday Diageo can find it in its cold black heart to bring Knockando to the US. Perhaps?
Availability - European retailers
The color is DiageoGold™. Large quantities of barley and yeast in the nose, and a hell of a lot of honey. Some notes of apples, fresh pears, orange hard candies, vanilla, and marzipan. Some nuts, cigar tobacco, and cocoa from the sherry casks (probably). An occasional gritty note. With time in the glass, the whisky develops notes of dried berries, dried grass, and tangerines. At first the palate is lightly smoky, with some salty butter and something a little dirty (literally dirt). There are smaller notes of oak spice, lemons, sweet wine, and pilsner. After some time in the glass, the whisky gets a little creamier, the lemons becoming lemon bars. Some sugary frosting, orange pulp, walnuts, honey, and burnt barley emerge as well. A hint of the honey. The dusty/toasty/burnt thing sticks around into the finish. There are also some oranges, black peppercorns, honey, and vanilla. In later sips, the citrus grows as does a jasmine-like note. A moderate length finish overall.
As I hinted at in the intro, the whisky really grew on me. It's very pleasant and barley-forward. It's not actually complex, but I did two different tasting sessions, which is why there's a pile of tasting notes. I also wrote down, "Would be great with a beer." It would be even better at a $30-$35 price point -- as it is in much of Europe -- since it's a small step up from Glenfiddich 12 and probably comparable quality-wise to Tomatin 12. Hell, if J&B included more of this in their bland blend, I'd buy that as well. But that's not happening, so maybe someday Diageo can find it in its cold black heart to bring Knockando to the US. Perhaps?
Availability - European retailers
Pricing - $30-$40 (w/VAT, w/o shipping)
Rating - 84
