Knockando 1995 12 Year Old

Knockando Distillery was built in 1898, and is named after the village in which it stands. The name derives from Scottish Gaelic Cnoc an Dhu, meaning "Little Black Hill".

I do enjoy finding out a bit about the distilleries and like that they each have some quirky fact that makes them unique. In the case of Knockando it is that they were the first distillery in Scotland to be built with electric lighting.

Anyway, enough of this, lets open the bottle.

It has a light colour like Golden straw.

The nose is a citrus bouquet, fresh hay, lemon grass and sweet apples

The first sip feels light and sweet. Honey with citrus. A peat undertone and burst of light fruits.

The finish tingles on the tongue with warm spice and a sweet rolling glow. Medium long.

This is a very pleasant summer drink which I will thoroughly enjoy. I can't see it lasting too long and was worth waiting to try.

Nose: Honey, marzipan, freshly mown grass Taste: Sugar puffs, honey, lemon, pear drops, white grape skin Finish: Bitter lemon, fairly short

The nose is filled with old leather and tobacco, with hints of malt, wood and salt. It smells like someone dipped a well-loved pipe-smokers tobacco pouch into a dry savoury whisky.

The taste is smooth, gentle and subtle, with continuing notes of leather, tobacco and salt.

The finish is mild, warm, and gentle. Notes of well-used leather. Not terribly long-lasting, but is still around as much as a minuted after swallowing.

This is unique in a way that you have to have tried a few whiskies to get (I think). It's an utterly savoury whisky without any traces of either smoke or peat. I can't think of another malt off the top of my head that fits that description. I didn't expect much (having heard virtually nothing about the Knockando before trying it), but in the pantheon of whiskies, this is genuinely unique. But if I hadn't tried several whiskies before this one, I wouldn't have appreciated this nearly as much, as it isn't amazing or very complex, but it is a genuinely good dram in its own way that has filled a unique niche.

Very light in colour, but with a very sharp and overpowering taste. Consequently I wasn't really able to enjoy it. Hints of oak and vanilla were pleasant enough, but I won't be buying it again.

Whatever Knockando... several other distilleries can do better. A little bit sharp, a little bit sweet, but nothing special, but that's probably because I favour a dark peaty beast of a whisky, which this isn't.