Knockando 21 Year Master Reserve (1994)

Let's start with a consideration: find me a 21 year old of this pleasantness at this price. Since there are none, the vote is also a function of this. It is a whisky of great complexity, but velvety and pleasant, a perfect drink for every day and at all hours. On the nose sherry, oak, wood, cappuccino, and above all with a great predominance of raisins and caramelized sugar. The aromas of the nose are confirmed on the palate, to which I add candied fruit and candied citrus. Medium-short finish with a predominance of raisins, with a bitterness that remains in the mouth and which is not too pleasant: this lowers the judgment a little. Excellent drink, but certainly not the bottle that I would take to a desert island ..... _______________________________________________________________________________ Partiamo da una considerazione: trovatemi un 21 anni di questa piacevolezza a questo prezzo. Visto che non ce ne sono, il voto è anche in funzione di questo. Si tratta di un whisky dalla grande complessità, ma vellutato e piacevole, una perfetta bevuta da tutti i giorni e da tutte le ore. Al naso sherry, rovere, legno, cappuccino, e soprattutto con grande predominanza uva passa e zucchero caramellato. Al palato si confermano gli aromi del naso, a cui aggiungo frutta candita ed agrumi canditi. Finale medio-breve con predominanza di uva passa, con un amarognolo che rimane in bocca e che non è troppo piacevole: questo abbassa un po' il giudizio. Ottima bevuta, ma non certo la bottiglia che porterei su un'isola deserta.....

Nose: Malt, caramel, pencil shavings, dunnage floor, dry hay, milk chocolate, coffee grounds, old furniture. Over time it gains a buttered toast aroma. Very laid-back and suave. [The dry-glass aroma is strong maple syrup with a little vanilla and milk chocolate] Palate: Dark malt extract dissolved in strong, cold black tea. Marmalade, dark chocolate, black coffee, toasted almonds, tobacco, licorice and a little oak come forward in the development. There are some notes in the palate that remind me of porter or stout, but it's not particularly ale-like, and there is also a hint of walnut bread. The texture is creamy but dry. Water expands the background oak too much and spoils the balance. Finish: Medium. Dry, but not hard or astringent. A warm dryness. Nutty and earthy with a final faint sweet note. The nose on this is dry and it's entirely composed of dark, weighty malt aromas. There are no estery floral or fruit top-notes, no phenolic smoke whatsoever and no creosol maritime or mineral character. There is a sherry presence but it's subdued and not overly sweet. The palate is earthy, malty and has a lot of strong flavours like tobacco and black coffee, but they are reserved and almost aloof at first. This is a very quiet whisky that takes a good while to open up and in several ways it reminds me of Glenfarclas. The main difference is that this has a dark chocolate and coffee personality whereas Glenfarclas has a fragrant heart of sandalwood and honeysuckle. This whisky is like a painting executed entirely in earth-tones. I was uncertain at the start but it really grew on me as I tasted it. In fact I was enjoying investigating it so much I almost forgot to leave enough to try with water. I did remember just in time, but to be honest I wish I hadn't. This is much nicer neat. Tasted from a 30ml sample. Would I buy a bottle of this at the asking price of $165? No probably not, but I wouldn't turn down a pour of it and it has certainly made me interested in exploring more of their expressions. It has character. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)