The Basics:

Character: Aromatic, fruity, and a little spicy.

Score: 79/100

The details:

The Lewis family purchased the Drimmin estate in 2002, and by 2012, they began to consider building a distillery on the grounds. Their daughter Annabel Thomas left a job in London to come and manage the project. Nc’nean, which was completed and distilled its first spirit in 2017–is Scotland’s first distillery to be 100% organic and powered by renewable energy. The distillery takes its name from a witch queen of Scottish folklore, Neachneohain, Nc’nean being an abbreviation.

The whole project has considerable charm–even in this age, it’s unusual for a woman to have quite the central role at a distilling concern that Thomas has at Nc’nean. The bottles are adorable and completely distinct, and the entire approach to whisky-making and drinking feels appealingly idiosyncratic, from the aforementioned sustainability, to the fact that they recommend mixing or making highballs with at least some of their malts. I like the vibe!

I have another Nc’nean whisky opened but not yet reviewed; it’s from their “Quiet Rebels” range, and I have a much more unambiguously positive take on that than on this one. This expression is a rather aromatic, somewhat fruity affair, and it has the distinctive cedar plank note that I almost inevitably pick up from STR-matured whiskies; it’s not bad, exactly, but with multiple tastings, you get the sense that the wood is doing some really heavy lifting for some very immature spirit. And, if you happen to *not* be in the mood for that cedar-y character, it’s a somewhat rocky experience. I can’t speak for subsequent bottlings of this core, NAS, and otherwise undesignated basic Nc’nean malt, but this particular bottling is definitely a bit raw and unpolished, although well worth getting into if, like me, you want to try everything.

Nc’nean, 46% abv

Tasting notes:

Nose: Aromatic–lots of cedar. A little bit of red apple and fermenting grapes. A gentle wisp of smoke–salmon grilling on a cedar plank. Unusual and extremely likable.

Body: Medium and juicy.

Palate: Big and juicy. Succulent. Can sugar. Ripe apricot. Still big cedar notes with something like the inside of a charred barrel. A touch of ginger. Unique and complex.

Finish: Medium with quietly fading sweetness. Gently smoky.

Score: 79/100

Who should buy it?: My general sense is that Nc’nean is a distillery to watch, and I’ve tasted another whisky from them that I have a much more positive take on overall, and have an unopened expression with a very intriguing cask finish. This particular expression is more for the completionist than the average drinker, I’d say.

Overall thoughts: A very moody whisky, I think. This was one of the very first STR cask whiskies I tasted, and I really liked it. Subsequent tastings (after more STR experiences) came with a much more varied experience, some good, some ok, some not so wonderful. I recently finished off the bottle and enjoyed the last pour. So, a whisky that felt a little all over the map to me.

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