Nc’nean Organic Single Malt (Highland Single Malt Whisky: 46% ABV)
Visual: Very lightly browned gold body. Fast, thick streaks come from the spirit.
Nose: Shredded wheat. Lightly saline. Alcohol tingle. Slight kiwi fruit. Toffee. Water makes more saline and brings out more toffee.
Body: Honey. Alcohol tingle. Shreddies. Slight saline. Brown sugar. Raspberry yogurt hard chunks. Toffee. Sweet lime cream. Water makes more saline. Clearer lime.
Finish: Salted toffee. Shreddies. Saline. Lightly waxy. Lime cheesecake. Water makes more natural lime. Green grapes.
Conclusion: Ok, initially I was not impressed with this. However…
Ok, lets start this again, and start with how it is neat. Like this, nothing too fancy – bunch of cereal notes, it is slightly saline which is an interesting element. There are hints of green fruit, but a bit alcohol tingly which is blocking a lot of the character.
It feels too simple for an examination whisky, and too rough for a session sipper… and yet. The light saline touch is moreish. The light sweetness is pleasing, and the hints of green fruit give a bit more. There is something there, but it is sub optimal.
So lets get into some water-sports here. Ok, ok, adding water. Prudes.
The sweetness becomes more obvious and blends well with the saline element for a salted caramel kind of touch, while retaining that one more sip encouraging style. The green fruit, creamy initially, becomes clearer and more evident. The solid cereal base give some grip and weight. While not an examination whisky, the mix of slightly salty character and sweetness makes it very moreish, with enough flavor to enjoy. Definitely a whisky to keep handy for a session of sipping with friends.
It is not a super fancy whisky, but it has a very drinkable base, fine for general sipping, and hopefully a base for some more exciting expressions to be released later.
Background: Nc’nean is a comparatively new distillery that , up to now , I have only encountered blended with other malts. So when I saw it decently discounted at Waitrose I decided to bite the bullet and buy a bottle. The name isn’t very description, apart from saying it is organic, a quick google tells me it is aged in a mix of red wine and American whiskey (I presume bourbon) casks and a small amount of sherry casks. Not much else to add, had Spiritbox: Eternal Blue as backing music again.
