anCnoc 2000 vintage (46%, OB, 2014)

• Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Knockdhu Distillery
• Bottling: Inver House
• ABV: 46% ABV
• Cost: £55 for 70cl
• Score: 85/100

What they say:

anCnoc Vintage 2000 has matured in Spanish oak ex-sherry butts and American oak ex-bourbon barrels and has been bottled in its most natural form, neither chill-filtered nor coloured.  As a result this dram may develop a light haze with the addition of water or if kept at a cold temperature. This haze is a natural characteristic of whisky that is non-chill filtered.

Colour:

Bronzed honey with rich amber highlights.

Nose:

Oriental spices, toasted vanilla and cocoa beans give way to subtle aromas of lemon grass, orange peel and fragrant cut flowers.

Taste:

Smooth creamy vanilla, spicy sherry notes, pralines and lively citrus lead to a long balanced finish with a hint of wood smoke.

What I say:

Sampled at the anCnoc masterclass in Edinburgh on 25th March 2015 and again during the #ModernTradition tweet tasting on 1st April 2015. The 2000 vintage is made up 60/40 with whisky fully matured in either ex-Spanish oak sherry casks and ex-American oak bourbon casks. Quoted as 14 year old as distilled in 2000 and bottled in late 2014. Sampled again during the #anCnocVintage twitter tasting on 19th May 2016 vis 1999 and 2001 vintages.

Colour:

Dark amber/ruby (12/20), medium tears with fine trails

Nose:

Deeper fruits, orange, peach, nectarine, date, fig, leather, tannins.

Taste:

Spiced fruits, berries, figs and dates, powdery cinnamon and ground pepper, cocoa powder and coffee

Finish:

Tannic oak, leather, spiced cinnamon and dried mango pieces

Overall:

My favourite of the tweet tasting, a real balanced depth is obtained from each of the cask maturations