Knockando 1979 (Bottled 1994) Season / 43% / 0.7l

Knockando Distillery was built in 1898 by John Thompson and is currently owned by Diageo.

In its early years, the distillery distilled only in winter using barley hayed in spring, and successive owners referred to each distillation year as a ‘season’. This tradition continues to this day, with official Knockando releases featuring both an age statement and a vintage. The one presented here is distilled in the 1979 season, aged in ex-bourbon casks with a small addition of sherry casks, and bottled in 1994. Knockando is one of the key ingredients in the original J&B blend formula, developed in the 1930s.

Nose : barley malt, oatmeal, pine needles, greengrocer's stall, orange peel, apples, roasted nuts, vanilla, oak and a fading hint of smoke.

Palate: sweet, breakfast cereal, butter cookies, vanilla, caramel, baked apples, orange liqueur, sugared nuts, licorice and oak.

Finish: fairly long, malty, with notes of breakfast cereal, orange peel, caramel, licorice and oak.