anCnoc Scotch Goes LightOnDark In New Peated Whisky Releases

The anCnoc Scottish whisky brand, distilled at the Knockdhu distillery, is known primarily for its classic light, easy-drinking style. It is turning light to dark though now, introducing recently a collection of limited edition peated whiskies for the global market.

The three new expressions debuted at a party in Glasgow, Scotland at the end of March, at which time they were paired with an interesting menu that was said to include jars of edible peat bog and copper rivet lollipops. While you won’t be able to eat peat with these when you buy them, you will be able to at least be informed though to know how much peat is in the bottlings, as each new release will display “its own varying phenol content in parts per million. (ppm)”

Each of the whiskies is named in honor “of the traditional tools used to cut peat, with ‘Rutter’ and ‘Flaughter’ unveiled for the UK and global markets and ‘Tushkar’ released exclusively for Sweden. Inspiration for them, said the distillery, is drawn from its 120 year history, in which some of the very first Scotch crafted there had a “peaty edge.”

Tasting notes for each of the three, as well as ppm information, are below per the distillery. Each should be available starting this month in non-chill filtered form.

Rutter (11.0 ppm): sparkling gold in appearance, initially smoky on the nose giving way to spices, pineapples, pear drops and vanilla. A full-bodied peaty richness to taste but with undertones of set honey, vanilla, toffee and leather, punctuated by green apples, giving way to a smoky peaty finish.

Flaughter (14.8ppm): pale gold in appearance a warm smokiness with spice, ash and surprising fruit on the nose. Distinctly smoky to taste with a fruity long-lasting finish.

Tushkar (15.0 ppm): polished gold in appearance with a rich sweet honey and vanilla nose wrapped in a veil of warm peat smoke, pierced by overtones of fresh green apples, orange peel and cut spring flowers. Rich, full-bodied wood smoke to taste, opening up to exotic spices, runny honey, toffee sweetness and a hint of freshly squeezed lemons.