Ultimate mellow allrounder: Knockando 18 years old
Knockando is one of my favourite easy-drinking-every-day-drams. I often have a bottle of this Speyside whisky open. The distillery, sadly not open for visitors, is one of the north bank distilleries in Speyside, along with Tamdhu (500 metres upstream the Spey River) and Dalmunach (also nearby, but downstream). There is not a lot of news around this classic J&B distillery, which is one of the towering brands in France. There were even reports of some lack of production, but those days seem to be over and Knockando is up and running again. We wrote about the vintage statements before in this blog post. I hope Knockando will return to this practise again, as it gave a certain charm to the brand. As it stands, today we taste a newer release that you can probably run into at your regular retailer.
Knockando Slow Matured, 18 years old, bottled at 43 % abv
First things first: Bottled in February 2022, this Knockando – like similar expressions these days – does not carry a vintage statement anymore. This malt whisky was matured on bourbon and sherry casks, named Slow Matured.
Upon Sipping: Well, it seems “slow matured” is not only a buzz word. I truly feel a great integration of a lots of elements at work here. Knockando belongs to those distilleries in the Diageo portfolio that produces a more nutty malt, and it shows. Combined with a dry malty tone, sherried fruitiness and indeed those soft hazelnuts, it makes for an interesting result. The abv could not have been lower than this, or it would have become a tad too mundane. As it stands, this is a fine single malt for easy nights on the couch, sipping away while watching Mad Men or The Sopranos. The 18 years of maturing brought a fantastic mellow vibe to this whisky, and the sherry casks were probably not first fill, or very lightly seasoned (as it standard practise these days). With the nice hints of bitter chocolate and light tones of caramel and mocha, this offers just enough to rise above the fold.
Word to the Wise: This Knockando is a fine example of similar (Speyside) products, like this Speyburn 15 years old, beloved by those in the know. Not in the same league as a Tamdhu 18 years old, to name one, but the price tag brings balance in that comparison as well.
Score: 83 points.