Tasting anCnoc vintage 1996

I’ve written tasting notes about the anCnoc 12, and the older 16 year old a few month ago. I also own a bottle of the 12 year old which i prefer, but i have yet to try any of their vintages, until tonight that is. Courtesy of Lukas of Allembic Comms, who run the Social Media business for anCnoc distillery , i received a lovely sample of this dram to try LIVE along with 15 more bloggers / twitter users from the blogosphere from around the world (England, Scotland, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, France, Hungary, Russia, Israel, South Africa, Mexico and maybe more?) , in order to try this new dram , along with the well known and respected 12,16 (always nice to have a new dram compared to his fellow expressions, right?). I am not a man that can say no to a fine dram (let alone a brand new dram no one has tasted!).

Leading the tasting was Alistair Reid (Knockdhu Distillery Assistant Manager), who answered questions any of the twitter users posted.

Official tasting notes:

Nose : Soft, very aromatic with a hint of honey and
lemon in the foreground.
Colour: Amber with a slight yellow hue.
Taste :Sweet to start with an appetizing fruitiness
and a long smooth finish.

During the tasting we’ve learned that this one is matured in a combination of Ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks, and this is not surprising.

AnCnoc vintage 1996, 46% ABV ,

alan 9981

Colour: Full Gold

Nose: Wow. I was not expecting this one. Sherry notes, big sherry. Bouillon, robust. sweet. Masculine nose, meaty. very different than it’s 12 year old and even the 16 year old which is closer in age. Some nuts too. how can i say it in one word : Mortlach-y.

Palate: Sweet entry, quite powerful, sherry influence (dry), feels stronger than the 46% ABV this one holds. Nutty, maybe hints of rubber and dark tea.

Finish: Quite spicy,Dry, and long. with some plum / bramble marmalade and bitter cocoa at the very ending.

Bottom line:

This dram caught me off gourd. i was not expecting this meaty sort of Mortlachy sherry profile from AnCnoc, after trying their 12,16 versions which are so different. Having said that, i do like this quite a bit. It’s a lovely companion for a cold winter night (we get very few of those here, but it’s nice to have nearby when we do).

Score: 87/100

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