Knockando 12 Year

Hints of chocolate, mid finish. Generally good.

Very sweet and sherry like

Sherry sweet taste

Nose: Malt extract, toasted cereal grains, fresh and stewed fruits, orange liqueur, leather and hints of sweet floral aromas and ash (but no peat smoke). You sense the cask presence but it is earthy rather than woody. Palate: Well-balanced and full-bodied arrival. The flavours are mild and reserved, featuring the same fruity compote that is in the nose together with a generous helping of malt. Creamy cereal and citrus flavours appear, like brioche with lashings of butter and Dundee marmalade. The mildest possible ginger note shows up on the later palate which is sweet and just faintly spicy in character. The texture is satisfying, being both robust and delicate. Finish: Medium/short. Trail mix soaked in Cointreau, fading to a slightly bitter aftertaste. A most enjoyable whisky with a pleasantly old-school malty character. The distillate shows aromas and flavours of malt, walnuts and oranges in several forms – zest, concentrate and oil - and the cask influence is well handled with a restrained intensity. You could be forgiven for thinking there is an oloroso influence on this whisky but the distillery uses only ex-bourbon refill hogsheads. The leathery, fruity qualities come from a particularly cloudy wort that is fermented in wooden washbacks, and its character travels through the production process into the new-make spirit. This malt is surprisingly reminiscent of good blended whisky. It has the same balance and complexity I associate with a skillful blend of malt and grain whiskies and there is the sprightly lightness of profile I also usually get from a blend. There is a similarity of nose to Johnnie Walker and it comes as no surprise that this is a Diagio workhorse distillery, and Knockando almost certainly features as a component in JW blends. More than acceptable as a neat sipping whisky, and with a dash of water it becomes sweeter and almost dangerously easy to quaff. It also stands up to ice and dilution in long drinks and is excellent in a whisky & soda. To cap it all, it is almost embarrassingly affordable. Highly recommended – the next time you are replacing a bottle of blended scotch in the bar take a tip and buy this instead of your usual suspect. It is about the same price as an upper-middle shelf blend and more versatile. You will not regret the choice. However don't take that as an inference that this is a lower-grade of single malt - nothing could be further from the truth and it would be an estimable session whisky. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)