TL:DR: Proof that even at 40% a whisky doesn’t have to be boring, A sweet and citrusy dram – honey and green lemon notes run throughout this whisky experience.
Vote*: 6, Good stuff.
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
After the three Glens I decided to pick the anCnoc 12 as my next review. This is also my first stop in learning about bourbon influence. The anCnoc 12 is a dram that often gets praise by the online whisky community as a good entry-level dram. It is very affordable (at least in many European markets) and mostly, if not fully, bourbon matured. Last but not least it is a bottle I could easily get my hands on.
That’s not the only reason for the choice. After trying the three Glens, I started to get the impression that 40% abv whiskeys lack in palate and finish. Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12 and Glenmorangie 10, had their positives but all failed to impress me once I went beyond appreciating their aromas. Based on the whisky web consensus anCnoc seems to buck that trend and deliver taste at 40% abv. I had to take the chance and take the first hard decision in my exploration – should I give 40% bottles a chance or move on? Now, since you read the TL;DR I am sure you can guess the outcome, but please bear with me.
Starting from this post, I am changing the order of reviews moving forward. I am always trying to learn something new from every whisky I try, but I realise that some of you might be well in front of me in your whisky education. To be more mindful of this fact I will add my “lightbulb” educational facts after the review. This also provides a better flow from a learning point of view. Try a whisky, discover its character and then try and get to the reason for that.
One quick curiosity before diving into the review. There is no distillery called anCnoc, despite what is usually the case for Scottish single malt. Knockdhu is the name of the distillery. The name of the whisky produced here was changed to anCnoc in the early 1990s. This change was done to avoid confusion with the nearby distillery Knockando.
anCnoc 12 years old
![anCnoc 12-year-old label detail showing a pencil drawing of the distillery on white background and how to pronounce the name, [a-nock]](https://mlduyczydylv.i.optimole.com/cb:QnQ8.198bf/w:600/h:600/q:mauto/f:best/https://i0.wp.com/roadtodram.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/anCnoc-label-1.jpeg)
Specs
Price paid: 31.90 €
Lot/bottled date: 14/11/2022
ABV: 40%
Natural colour: no
Non-chill filtered: not stated, but unlikely
Casks used: Not stated – online sources differ. According to some only bourbon casks are used. Others claim maturation is in a mix of second-fill bourbon and sherry.
Tasting
Neck pour: Honey and citrus, a bit rustic, in an interesting way.
Colour: Pale amber
Aromas: Off the bat, there is a lot of honey, green lemon, ripe sweet fruit (apple, pear, melon), some malty notes, butter, vanilla and a hint of tea tree oil. With more time in the glass, the aromas turn sweeter. The fruit and vanilla become more prominent. A hint of ash (from the charred barrels I assume) pops up, and the underlying refreshing tea tree oil note persists. Maybe I am fooling myself but I smell just a touch of dried fruit (raisin maybe), which makes me think there is at least a little sherry influence here.
Taste: Medium body. The taste is very malt-forward and not as sweet as the nose would suggest. While simple, it has some pleasant complexity with honey, green lemon, butter and red apple notes.
Finish: Medium, yet longer and more intense than I would have expected, Citrus, malt and a little ginger spice are the main notes. The aftertaste is dry, with a hint of citrus and toast.
How does it behave with a drop of water?
Water does anCnoc 12 little favours. It becomes significantly simpler and sweeter and loses complexity quickly. There is just a hint of scotch mist in the glass, the haze that can form adding water to your whisky, which might indicate that Knockdhu is chill-filtering this spirit to death.
Conclusions
As I mentioned in the introduction, after the three Glens, I started thinking that I was doomed to find pleasantly smelling drams with a bland taste and finish at 40% abv. Reviewing the anCnoc 12-year-old is the demonstration that this does not need to be the case. It is a more balanced drink, with good intensity of the aromas, taste and finish. The dominant honeyed, malt-forward and citrus character is not complex yet there are enough secondary notes to keep it interesting as an entry-level dram.
The educational bit
What does anCoc do to bring more character to its whisky at 40%?
So why is anCnoc managing to pack more flavour in its 40% whisky than others? The answer might be in how it performs its distillation employing techniques that favour a light spirit in the first part of the process but a heavier spirit in the final step.
If you are interested in a great overview of the factors affecting the new make spirit in distillation, I suggest you check another one of First Phil’s great videos on Distillation 101. For simplicity of discussion, and to get to the point on anCnoc, I will only briefly mention the two high-level factors that affect how light or heavy a spirit is: Copper contact and Reflux.
Copper contact is important to reduce the amount of sulfur compounds in the distilled spirit. These sulfur linked molecules give the spirit a “heavier” taste and potentially unwanted aromas, which is why copper remains the main material for pot stills. The more contact with copper, via still height, and restrictions in the still, the more the copper contact. The type of condensers used to bring the distilled vapours back to a liquid also affects the copper contact: traditonal worm tub condensers have less copper contact than newer shell and tube condensers.
Reflux is the process by which part of the spirit which has evaporated condenses again through contact with the still surface and flows back into the distilling liquid. Lighter molecules condense less than heavier ones. The more reflux you get, the more you enrich the spirit being distilled with the lighter molecules and aromas. You can increse reflux by using higher stills, adding so-called reflux bubbles to the still or changing the angle of the Lyne arm (the arm that takes the distilled vapours to be condensed and collected) to increase or decrease reflux.
Knockdhu uses an interesting mix of solutions, which seem to contradict themselves. The stllls are tall and have reflux bubbles, indicating a lighter spirit. On the other hand, the condensers used are worm tubs which are traditionally used to provide a heavier spirit. Is this the secret to AnCnoc’s ability to deliver taste at 40%? I guess we’ll never know for sure, but I love to think that a bit of counterposed yin and yang balance is what is delivering the goods for us drinkers.
Hope you enjoyed this review & Slainte!
As always, after writing my tasting notes, I find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the anCnoc 12 I enjoyed:
And for a somewhat less favourable opinion, but probably my favourite review of the bunch… The Grail
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