Knockando distillery was built in 1898 by John Tytler Thomson at the tail end of the Victorian whisky boom, another of the graceful Speysiders designed in that period by the distillery architect Charles Doig. The name comes from the Gaelic Cnoc-an-Dhu, meaning little black hill. The distillery has been owned by Justerini and Brooks since 1904, and today sits within the vast Diageo stable, where its primary role has long been as a heart malt of the J and B blend.
Knockando has always taken an unusual approach to its single malt bottlings. Rather than releasing whiskies at rigid age statements, the distillery traditionally bottled expressions only when the malt was judged to be at its best, and for many years each bottle carried both a distillation and a bottling year on the label. The Slow Matured designation on the 18 Year Old echoes this philosophy.
At 43% and matured principally in American oak ex-bourbon casks, the 18 Year Old showcases the delicate, almost understated house style. This is not a whisky that shouts. It is floral, cereal-led and restrained, the antithesis of the heavy sherry bombs that dominate much of the Speyside conversation. To drinkers weaned on peat or sherry monsters it may seem quiet, but its elegance rewards attention.
It is also a reminder of an older, less demonstrative style of Speyside, in which whisky was made for blending first and the single malt expressions reflected that lighter, more subtle craft. As a gentle and thoughtful 18-year-old, Knockando's Slow Matured release remains one of the more distinctive voices in the Diageo single malt portfolio.
A dram for quiet reflection rather than fireside drama, and all the better for it.
