2024 24 Days of Whisk(e)y - Day 10

Tuesday! Day 10 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y ... tonight ... Scotch! Finally! (: Random is random, but we've somehow avoided having any unpeated Scotch until tonight. Even though this was blind, I was pretty pretty sure this was a Scotch on the first nose. I thought it was likely a blend... was I correct? Uh... nope (:

We are drinking anCnoc (the middle C is silent) 12 Year Highland Single Malt, 43% ABV. It doesn't state that it's not chilled filtered, so at this ABV it likely is. This one was discontinued in Oregon, and I picked this up for $52. There is a reason I tend to enjoy Scotch over Bourbons and Ryes - and that is they are usually more interesting. This one is a good example of that.

On the nose, initially I get malt, followed by sweet vanilla, apricot, orange, a touch of lemonade, floral, perfume. It's shiny on the nose, which made me think it was a blend as that is something I commonly get on blended Scotch. There is even a bit of menthol cough drops. 

The taste isn't quite as interesting ... but to be honest, it would have been hard to follow the nose. I do get the malt and sweet vanilla, but I also find some black walnuts and a flat lemon-lime soft drink. 

The finish is nice too - I get malt for sure, but a bit of unspecific spice and warmth, with a touch of ash way in the back. With water, the nose has the malt tamed down a bit, which helps the other notes come out. The taste with water has the cinnamon wake up a bit. The finish is still sweet and I'm finding some honey as well. This is worth having both ways.

I am giving this one a 4.0/5.0. I bought this about a year ago when it was discontinued in Oregon, but checking online, there are still bottles to be had - so I might have to pick up another bottle of this... it's really good. Cheers!