Knockando sits on the Spey near Cardhu, a distillery built in 1898 by John Thomson and absorbed into the Justerini & Brooks fold not long after. For the better part of a century its output has been directed chiefly toward J&B Rare, which is why bottlings under its own name tend toward the discreet rather than the declarative.
The name itself is from the Gaelic Cnoc-an-dhu, the little black hillock, and the distillery's quiet situation in the woods above the river has always seemed of a piece with the malt it produces. Knockando, alone among Speysiders, was for many years released only when its master distiller judged the casks ready, the vintage rather than the age statement determining when a parcel went to bottle.
The Richly Matured 15 is, as the name plainly states, drawn from casks of more assertive character than the standard 12. First-fill European oak carries the bulk of the load, and the result is a malt that has set aside Knockando's customary lightness for something a little sturdier, though still well within the distillery's reserved idiom.
On the nose there are dried figs, milk chocolate and a soft sherried note, with walnut oil playing around the edges. The palate is medium-bodied, honeyed, and brings raisin, cinnamon and a measured oakiness that never tips into tannin. The finish is of fair length, gently spiced, and closes on sultana and cocoa.
This is not a malt for those who prize drama. It is a thoughtful, unhurried dram, and at 43% it is bottled with the sensible middle ground in mind. Admirers of Cardhu, Glenlossie or Linkwood will find it familiar territory, and those who already keep a bottle of the 12 in the cabinet will find the 15 a worthwhile step up rather than a redundancy.
