I had been looking forward to trying this for a long time. My parents had a holiday home when I was growing up that was only a few miles from what is now the site of Nc’nean Distillery at Drimnin on the west coast of Scotland. It’s about as remote as you can get on mainland Scotland, and it’s a place that is very close to my heart. This, weirdly, felt like it was a whisky close to my childhood! I had tried their botanical spirit (which is somewhere between a whisky and a gin in character) and had rather enjoyed it. I had them tried their early new make at a festival, which was really interesting. Then, in 2019, I was lucky enough to be invited to taste their ‘A’ and ‘B’ tasters to give some tasting notes. So, I was starting to feel a little invested! I’m very happy to say that this young NAS whisky is a good dram. BATCH .01 Distillation dates: April, May & July 2017 Number of bottles: 5040 Spirit recipe: Light and Fruity Yeasts: Anchor and Fermentis Cask mix: 65% STR Red Wine, 35% Ex-Bourbon Cask numbers: 2017 / 67, 68, 69, 91, 93, 94, 95, 121, 122, 124, 177, 179, 208, 212 Disgorging date: 20/08/2020 Bottling date: 27/08/20 - 04/09/20 Bottling strength: 46% Non-chill filtered. Natural colour. Nose: Sweet, caramel, floral. Palate: Slightly ‘hot’, peppery, zingy fruit (citrus), but mellowed by a lovely soft mouthfeel. There’s an almost herbal note underneath. Finish: Quite a long finish, warm, spicy and a softer citrus at the very end. It’s not a fireside whisky, it’s a summer sipper. It has a delicate, lightness that both shows and belies it’s young age. It is a nice - if youthful - dram. It has an elegance that makes me think this will be a cracker with a few more years on it. This particular bottle was a birthday gift from my parents, brother and sister-in-law. I’m currently tasting it - and writing this review - on my 46th birthday!