anCnoc 12 Year

Rating: 14/23 N: A spicy heat with some clean malt and funky grain. Something a bit starkly bitter and then hints of tropical fruit and soap. P: They advertised smoke on the bottle, but I'm not really getting it. There's a lot of worty grain flavor going on here, with a surprising amount of heat and accompanying spices. There's some malty sweetness, but not a lot. There's some nuance to that worty grain, but it's not a delightful flavor. A little orange zest. Overall, this is kind of boring and also flawed. It has a very forgettable highland scotch profile. It needs more malt, some extra flavors, and less heat. I think that this would have been better bottled at a higher proof and the added water brought out the grain and made it more bitter. F: It's what I expected from the palate. Not a lot going on. The grain is still there. - Conclusion - I'm pretty underwhelmed by this. I can drink it fine, but it's not actually enjoyable. It's a flawed and generic scotch. This actually tastes like something I could believe was distilled by an enthusiast at home. For the rating, I'm thinking a 12 to 14. Giving this some nice swishing and air in my mouth, more of the sweet malty aromas come out, so I think not a 12. I'm thinking a 14.

Nose: light, sweet, and fruity. Whipped cream and tiny vanilla. Honey. Cereal. Fruit tart. Warm, oaky, and buttery as things open up with a hint of the cinnamon. Palate: opens up with a nice sweet honey and cereal, kind of like honey nut cheerios, a little bit of orange, honeysuckle. Classic bright malt notes. Some apple here. As i keep going I see cinnamon and raisin come out a bit more. Transitions to mineral/stone note as it heads towards the finish. It moves from the middle of the tongue to the sides and then coats the whole mouth. Unique! Finish: warming long and lingering. As the warmth fades im left with a very gentle tannic oak and slight minerality.

The nose can best be described as brined apricot honey if such a thing were ever to exist. Just flat out lovely. Additional notes of vanilla bean, tart green apple, and white grapefruit are also present. On the palate, the brine is immediate, followed by citrus and honey notes. Light spice coats the throat, releasing saliva causing the flavors to release once more. Overall an extremely easy sipping Single Malt and complex for the price point. Overall: Nose - 4/5; Palate - 4/5 Score 4/5 Repurchase: Yes Type: Friday Night Pour

Nez très fruité où on retrouve beaucoup de fruits à noyaux sans leurs sucres, butterscotch, bois relativement jeune, beaucoup de cacao en arrière-plan, iodé sans être tourbé, vin blanc. En bouche, encore bien fruitée mais avec un ajout boisé plus présent qu'au nez, épices douces, noyaux. Finale de céréales brûlées sans que ce soit désagréable, cacao et noyaux. Belle texture lisse.

NOSE Graham-like malt, banana, vanilla, honey, dried fruit, cinnamon, light tofffee and vanilla. Soft, easy and pleasant. Nothin wrong with the aroma. PALATE Malty, dried fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, nuts and a bit of char and banana chips. Not a super complex palate, but what’s there is nice and warm. FINISH Medium -> Fruity and malty slight char

[Re-review] Nose: Vanilla, Cinnamon, Sultana, Toasted Bread, Sweet Bakery Bread. Palate: Nuts, Malt, Dried Fruit, Spice, Barely Sugar, Light Peat smoke. Malty, nutty, barley sugar, dried fruits(mainly apricot), earthy spices, and a gentle bit of peat smoke on the end. Great bottle of scotch that I believe to be a staple of the Highlands category.