anCnoc Peatheart

Where the “regular” 24y Ancnoc didn’t really convince me, I wanted to see how this distillery performs with some added peat. After lots of different whiskies I realized that I not only like peated whiskies more but they also got way higher scores than unpeated ones for me. The nose of this NAS from the Knockdhu Distillery opens up with a charming peat that is labeled as 40 ppm so somewhere in the medium range. It definitely is not aggressive at all but presents itself more like smores / burnt marshmallows that are dipped in a vanilla-orange marmalade. It is simple but rich if you give it some time. I must say I really like it. On the palate it remains more laid back with a slight red pepper burn but stays sweet like whole grain cookies. The wood is there. The smoke is there. The bourbon cask flavor is there. Everything well combined to create a simple yet nice and likable easy sipper. I wanted to say that I miss complexity, intensity and a more interesting finish but then I realized that this whisky isn’t trying to offer an multi-layered experience like that - it just offers a nice peated, young, sweet and also wood characterized evening dram. And that it does properly. I like it for that reason and makes me interested in peated ancnoc whiskies with a bid more age and finesse.

COLOUR: Really light yellow-gold, like watered-down pear juice. LEGS: Small and thick drops that clung to the glass for a very long time; they dropped in thin tears. NOSE: Delicate (2/5); sour floral heather peat; creamy; butterscotch & honey; subtle fresh red apples; slight citrus and lime; earthiness; light to no smoke. WITH WATER (5 drops into 10mL): more peat and some puffs of smoke; sweetness diminishes. Score 7/10 TASTE: Powerful (4/5); sweet honey; drying creamy peat; lots of smoldering smoke; hints of citrus, black pepper; drying oak; slight earthiness. WITH WATER: nicer; more sweet; more peat; much more smoke. Score 7.5/10 FINISH: Warming and long; lingering highland honey and peat smoke. WITH WATER: longer and more biting and drying. My tongue is burned and numb. Score 7.5/10 OVERALL: Quite a nice and subtly peated Highlander; better with water. Weighted Score 7.4/10 IMAGERY: The apiary is on fire!

Jamais déçu par anCnoc. À chaque bouteille, je demeure impressionné par leur polyvalence à faire des produits tourbés et non tourbés. Ils sont clairement dans mes distilleries préférées! #Top3 Comme tous leur tourbés, il est très pâle. Odeur qui ressemble à du bacon fumé. Au goût, c’est assez sucré et on goûte la fumée, les poires et la vanille. Finale très longue et poivrée. C’est franchement bien fait et balancé. La meilleure bouteille d’anCnoc que j’ai goûtée. Solide solide. Bouteille ouverte en 2021-09.

Nose: Strong peaty notes of black pepper with hints of leather; green apple an iodine. Palate: Oily with caramel and peat; butterscotch and sultana; faint pepper. Finish: Very well-balanced; smooth and peaty, though not smouldering; relatively short but not disappointing—slow fading embers. Overall: A really pleasant dram. Would be nice to try a few different variations as it ages.

Nose. Some peat and medicinal notes, black pepper and citrus zest. Mouth. Oily and peppery, with much more of the peat and smoke coming through. Subtle and well-balanced (despite coming across as a bit young?). Finish. A sweet and spicy flavour warms and lasts a fairly long time. Really enjoyable.

Nose - smoked ribs / bbq pork - bacon - earthy herbal peat - peat moss - seaweed - charcoal - pear - floral - vanilla flower - lime peel Palate - pear - chocolate - very light - medicinal peat -lime peel