Knockando 1998 ‘Slow Matured’

Only the fourth Knockando review on this blog, the distillery is hiding under the radar. I loved the Knockando 25 Years though.

Today we’re trying the 1998 edition of the Knockando 18 Year Old which comes in yearly bottlings as part of a Slow Matured series.

Knockando 18 yo 1998 (43%, OB ‘Slow Matured’ 2016, bourbon and sherry casks)

Nose: leafy, wintery sherry. There’s toast, pepper, malty notes and wet leaves. Walnuts. A vague sweet element underneath, honeyed almonds maybe.

Mouth: playing in a different league. Almost entirely on barley notes, vanilla and yellow apples. The sherry influence continues with raisins, oak spice and late chocolate. Slightly musty leafy notes again. Orange peel.

Finish: fairly long, with warming oak, oranges, cinnamon and a hint of dark cocoa.

Not at all bad. The fairly tame middle makes it loose a couple of points, but the spicy sherry is a nice asset. Master of Malt is offering an older vintage.

Score: 80/100