Nc'nean Organic Single Malt – Batch 2

I was very charmed by the first batch of this new distillery, of which the name is best pronounced ‘nook-knee-anne’. Just like batch 1 this is a release of 5.040 bottles with the whisky again cut to 46%. The vatting is again composed of 65% STR red wine casks and 35% bourbon casks. I wonder if it will differ much from the first batch.

The nose is sweet and sour on pomelo, nougat and hazelnuts, but also wild flowers, nettles and honey. Nice notes of nectarines and young apples. It is less sweet and a bit more sour than it’s predecessor, as if this second batch contains some grapefruit.

It’s nicely creamy and soft on the palate, with more citrusfruit but also more hazelnuts. There is just a tad more going on than in the first batch, but at the same time it is a bit less playful and spicier. Seems to me some of the wine casks were more active in this case. But it does remain a lovely spring whisky.

The finish is medium long, sweet and sour as well as malty.

Same recipe, same combination of casks, same strength and even the same amount of casks and yet it is different – albeit only slightly – than the first batch. I quite like that, but I must confess to having a slight preference to batch 1.