Chapter 12
My first Nc'nean Whisky
We were on the Isle of Mull (which will be part of another chapter of course) and had to kill a few minutes before our Tobermory/Ledaig tasting. A local bar facing Tobermory’s harbour was the perfect opportunity. Not a huge whisky selection, but an interesting floral transparent bottle caught my eye. I was about to try my first Nc’nean. It was probably batch 2 or 3, but I lost my notes (true sad story).
Few years later, thanks to Annabel, I’m re-trying my first Nc’nean whiskies. And it was a pleasant experience.
Leo’s already introduced us to Nc’nean (Chapter 10). What I do like about them is their bold direction on sustainability. Based right in front of Tobermory only separated by the Sound of Mull, it’s clocked 6 years of operations. As said for Lagg (Chapter 11), we’re looking at their products with the right expectations given the age, trying to think about their potential as well.
Having said all that, whisky time…
Organic Single Malt - Batch 4
Batch 4 is a 3 year old whisky distilled in 2017, matured in a mix of STR red-wine and ex-bourbon casks and bottled in 2020 at 46%. It’s un-chilled filtered, no colour added, and this for me goes hand in hand with their sustainability aims. You remove unnecessary steps in the process, and you keep an authentic presentation for your customers… fair play there.
But then, how does it taste?
On the Nose: young of course, very herbaceous and floral which I don’t know if it’s a suggestion coming from the bottle (great design) or they did it this way because of its notes… A bit of time and a drop of water and honey emerges, almost daisy pollen and beeswax. Warm royal jelly. Red wine influences clearly there with hints of green apple and green banana.
On the Palate: pretty light, spicy arrival, English breakfast with a bit of demerara sugar.
Finish: decent given the age, dark chocolate, fresh broad beans, edamame and more green apple.
Huntress - Woodland Candy
This is a slightly older (5 years old) higher strength (48.5%) release. It’s been matured in a similar combination of ex-bourbon and STR red wine casks and released in 2023. In the UK, this is sold at ca £30 more than the Organic Single Malt series at 46% abv.
On the Nose: rice pudding, eggnog and Marsala. If you ever skied on the Italian Alps and you’ve tried Bombardino with cream, that’s what it reminded me of. With a drop of water more cereal notes start to emerge, digestive biscuits. Melted butter.
On the Palate: marzipan, pastel de nata, they don’t use peat but I can still get a pinch of smoked pepper on the palate… maybe from the STR casks, not sure.
Finish: longer finish than batch 4. Lingering herbal and citrusy acidity mixes with sulphuric notes.
Quiet Rebels - Annabel
Dark fascinating bottle. 3 years old again but with a wider and interesting mix of casks: not just bourbon and STR but also some Sherry and Tokaji (a full bodied Hungarian sweet wine). 48.5% abv. Price point in between Organic batches and Huntress.
On the Nose: Spicy arrival full of cinnamon and nutmeg. Swimming pool and I love that smell reminds me of childhood. A dash of water and we get fresh buffalo mozzarella, with some amazing tropical fruit notes of mango and papaya.
On the Palate: refreshing, thicker than the other two. almost milky and unexpectedly fresh cheese.
Finish: fresh and nutty, sweet and sour.
Quite Rebels - Lorna
Same age and strength of the QR Annabel, but this time mainly ex-bourbon casks with a portion of ex-Pineau des Charentes giving this a nice twist. The Color is almost champagne, clearly showing its main bourbon nature.
On the Nose: Breakfast notes of warm waffles, mixed with fresh citrusy notes of lime and bergamotto. Dried mango and papaya.
On the Palate: more waffles covered with maple syrup sweet and sticky. Banana bread and pecan nuts in the development.
Finish: fairly long, zesty and sweet. Galatine candy which again is a fresh milky note found in the first Quite Rebels release. Interesting…
Overall
You’ve seen the RGS badge on Batch 4. I’ve also tried Batch 1, 8 and 10 and what I can say is that this is where my bang-for-buck needle points at the moment. It’s their core expression and it’s improving batch after batch as they experiment with other cask types. They’re keeping them young, true, and they taste young, but they’re quite available and at still reasonable prices. Perhaps try them first in a good whisky bar without paying any crazy price for it and see if the style suits you.
Given their sustainability efforts and integrity presentations, I’m intrigued to see what will come out in future. Looking forward to trying their first cask strength releases!
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Nc’nean Organic Single Malt Batch 4 – 46%
- Nc’nean Huntress Woodland Candy – 48.5%
- Nc’nean Huntress Quite Rebels Annabel – 48.5%
- Nc’nean Huntress Quite Rebels Lorna- 48.5%