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
The Whiskyphiles 
2 replies »