Nc’Nean distillery is still a bit of a start-up and most of their whiskies suffer from pushy casks. Honestly I believe they may get a little too much exposure on this website, but established retailers and distributors seem to heavily support them and offer exclusive selections, which is why they get included eventually.
Recently Kirsch Import and The Whisky Exchange both selected a Calvados single cask. These casks seem to come from Avallen – a heavily branded spirit mostly available in the UK and Hong Kong. Kirsch also bottled an Amarone cask, which is a first for Nc’Nean.
Nc’Nean 7 yo 2017 (60,1%, OB for Kirsch Import 2025, Calvados cask #17-520, 343 btl.)
Nose: pleasant, full of stewed apples or Kaiserschmarrn with whipped cream on the side. There’s a nuttiness to it, as well as some buttery caramel notes that make it a little bulky. Then a little lime, some cinnamon and a general spicy / grassy undertone.
Mouth: sweet and spicy. Still a good dose of apple pastry and apple sauce, with vanilla and subtle honey. Then some drying grainy notes quickly set in, moving towards greenish oak spice like pepper, clove and ginger. A mildly tannic / fizzy edge. The apple flavour now shifts towards apple peelings as well.
Finish: medium. Pretty neutral, with apple and peppery warmth.
The Calvados influence presumably highlights the innate fruitiness of the spirit, which is nice. On the other hand the spiciness is borderline. The choice for cask strength often narrows down young whisky, in my opinion.
Nc’Nean 7 yo 2017 (60,2%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 2025, Calvados cask #17-519, 342 btl.)
Nose: very, very similar, which isn’t surprising given the almost identical specs. Lots of apple aromas, in a sweet way. This is countered by a bready theme and oak spice. The Kirsch cask seems to offer just a little more juiciness and the TWE cask a bit more hints of grain whisky.
Mouth: sweet again, now partly taken over by toffee and fudge notes, pushing the apple sweetness to the background. Then sweet oak, a hint of citrus and plenty of spicy notes.
Finish: medium. Plenty of oak spice again.
Similar cask, similar thoughts. Pairing this spirit to a Calvados cask is a nice idea, but the oak itself is a little intrusive. Exclusively available from The Whisky Exchange. Score: 80/100
Nc’Nean 4 yo 2020 (59,3%, OB for Kirsch Import 2025, Amarone cask finish #20-676, 486 btl.)
Nose: a fine sharp-fruity aroma of sour cherries and rhubarb, along with pomegrenate and orange peel. Then hints of walnuts and bits of spiced chocolate. Here as well the spicy side is prominent, with clove oil and hints of cardamom.
Mouth: fairly creamy, with more red berries and blackcurrant. Now the grape-y and slightly meaty character of the red wine is also present. This leads to dark chocolate, black peppercorns, ginger and more nutty dryness.
Finish: medium to long, with a brown sweetness, black pepper and hints of oak.
While red wine finishes often struggle to convince me, this isn’t bad. It’s more entertaining than the Calvados casks and the amarone finds a decent balance. Available in German stores. Score: 83/100