Review by: The Muskox
Founded in 2017 and located in the northwest Highlands near Tobermory, Nc’nean is one of several new distilleries influenced by Dr. Jim Swan. You can see his handiwork quite plainly – long, slow fermentation, clean clear fruity spirit, and shaved-toasted-recharred (“STR”) wine casks abound. I haven’t always been a fan of that kind of style, but of course every distillery is different. Nc’nean differentiates itself through their focus on sustainability and exclusive use of organic barley, as well as their gorgeous bottle design. This is the second batch of their flagship single malt.
As per my blind review policy, my notes, thoughts, and score are all locked-in before the reveal. I didn’t know what was in my glass, other than that it was probably some kind of whisky.
Distillery: Nc’nean.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 3 years. Distilled in Fall 2017. Bottled in Fall 2020.
Cask type: A vatting of 35% ex-bourbon casks and 65% STR casks.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Smells malt-ish. Crabapples, citrus, banana. Oatmeal with butter and brown sugar. Jam sandwich cookies. Nougat. Slightly floral.
Palate: Medium texture. Proof seems lowish, probably 43%. Arrives with spiced apples, juicy orange, and toffee. Malty and buttery in the middle, with moderate oak, caramel, and toasted coconut. Floral again.
Finish: Medium-length, buttery and creamy. Funnel cake with apples, more flowers, banana, and honey. Sweet nutty notes of pralines and macaroons. A tiny hint of something herbal (rosemary maybe).
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Cookie tin filled with actual cookies instead of sewing supplies for once”
Conclusion: Solid. I like the creamy notes, both texture and flavour, as well as the juicy fruit. Not a whole lot of complexity, but well-rounded and very pleasant.
I do think this is a malt – it took finding those floral notes (and pouring a second glass) to convince me that this isn’t just Glenlivet 12. In the context of some of Baldric’s other blinds, I’m thinking this is some kind of very scotch-adjacent world malt, maybe something from England or Wales or Canada. Could be scotch, too, of course (I dunno, Teaninich F&F or something). I’ve only had one Penderyn before, but it did have these same kind of creamy notes. Lowish proof fits them as well. Let’s go with that.
Guess: Single malt, unpeated, 8-12 years old, 43%, mix of casks (mostly ex-bourbon).
Shot in the dark: Penderyn?
Final Score: 79.
Post-reveal thoughts: Very happy to have enjoyed this. Other than the sweetness, I didn’t notice the STRs or the youth too much. No real off-notes or overt greenness either. My guess wasn’t all that bad either – Penderyn is another Jim Swan joint. I hope Nc’nean gets even better – I love their ethos and they seem like good people.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 