Yesterday the third Twitter Tasting of Inver House Distillers was held. This time, anCnoc whiskies were put to the test. The guys from Alambic Communications / Edinburgh Whisky Blog mailed around some samples to all participants and while not all of them arrived in time, some of the participants were ill, the tasting was a success in my opinion.

anCnoc 12, 40%
The nose of the anCnoc 12 starts of with heaps of yellow fruit, a bit of straw and some maltiness as well. Dried apples stand out the most to me, although others were raving on about peach. I got the peach on the palate instead of in the nose. After a while it gets much dryer in your mouth with some grassiness. The finish gives a little bit of vanilla and lemon before fading.

anCnoc 12, 40%, available at Master of Malt for about 30 euros.

anCnoc 16, 46%
The 16 year old starts of with a lot of custard in the nose. After stepping awar for a minute and nosing it again theres buttered toast. The taste is more complex with some woody spices like nutmeg. Also quite a lot of pepper. On the finish the spicyness continues but its a little bit less dry than the 12 year old.

anCnoc 16, 46%, available at Master of Malt for about 50 euros.

anCnoc Vintage 1996, 46%
As my friend Gal put it: A slap in the face. There is ever so slight a rubbery note. But most of the smell is peanut butter, cashew nuts. Also some nutmeg and clove. Very different from the previous two drams. The mouthfeel starts of oily but turns dry after a few seconds. It reminds me of pretzel M&Ms, since there is some saltiness as well. The taste makes me think of some of the old racked warehouses where the earthen floor has soaked up gallons of whisky from leaky casks. After smelling it again a few minutes later it gets a typical sweet maple syrup and bacon smell.

anCnoc Vintage 1996, 46%. Not available yet.