anCnoc Barrow

The last whisky I tasted that Summer evening at one of the Ladies in the club was a new – to us – release from anCnoc Distillery. She bought anCnoc Stack last Autumn and I really liked that one. Now she had bought Barrow. This is what the distillery says about it:

The dark, smoky side of anCnoc has proven a real hit with experienced whisky enthusiasts, a fact highlighted by the recent award for anCnoc Cutter. Barrow, a new travel retail exclusive, boasts a 13.5 ppm phenol content at 46% ABV. It also hasn’t been chill-filtered or coloured. What’s more, Barrow is limited to only 7,500 bottles and once it’s gone, it’s gone so our advise is not to linger when you see it on the shelf.

Complex on the nose. Malty at first. Then fresh citrus and salt. And then: plastic and meat. Sea weed and the smell of a sour beach. Metallic. Vanilla. Compost. A very strange combination of smells! The palate reminds a bit of gin. I get juniper, forest, nutmeg and other spices. There is some vanilla and caramel. Watery. The finish i dry and quite simple. There is something earthy and woody which gives me water in my mouth.

My score: nose 19 / taste 19 / finish 19 / balance 20 = 77

– Tone