AnCnoc 18 REVIEW: 18 yo CRAFT QUALITY?

[@timothyjuarez5306]

What I appreciate about your videos is that they are straight to the point and you do engage your commenting audience. Please keep up the good work.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks so much! Yes I always prefer to watch concise videos on KZbin myself, so I try to keep things clear and to the point. Appreciate the kind words!

[@uilleachan]

I've had a bottle of the 18 and concluded much the same as your review. Worth trying for lots of reasons. That said, the 24 is really worth trying IMO, had a few and have to keep my remaining bottle buried deep in my cupboard to avoid opening it. In my youth I was after big n' bold, but as I got older subtlety became more important. The 24 has morphing shifting subtleties in spades, and then there's price, priced to sell, or it was last time I looked.

[@Gwhisky]

I've had the 24 and quite enjoyed it. Extremely affordable given the age. I may come back to it someday. I had it two or three times only, and didn't spend enough time with it to get a real handle on it. Might be one to tack onto the wishlist!

[@thosho]

I was so happy you brought up how this whisky changes each time you drink it! Almost the exact same experience Im having with it at the moment but my particular bottle seems to get better and better rather than jump all over the place. It’s a true chameleon though and I was not so sure about it at first. Awesome review, Geoff! Also- dope beat in the background!

[@Gwhisky]

Overall mine's getting better as well. And who knows? By the end of the bottle I might score it an 89/90! And yeah scores might waver quite a bit depending on mood, time of day, etc. So what I put on KZbin is a totally subjective take on how I'm feeling about the whisky at the moment of shooting. Of course I try to spend time with the bottles so that my scores reflect the culmination of my experiences with the bottles, but yeah... loads of factors to consider. This one especially. Like you said, bit of a chameleon. Cheers!

[@aframs-cctaf-rams-cct6424]

Ha!, I just ordered this one too, looking at reviews online and glad to see you’ve got one for almost every bottle I ordered

[@Gwhisky]

Looks like you're picking some winners! This one's solid!

[@allanwhittle3041]

Not previously watched your content , but IMO. ..really good and very well presented , i would concur with your thoughts on this whisky . Definitely you have a follower who values your opinion 👍🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Thank you very much, Allan. Very kind of you to say! 🥃

[@dextercool]

Savoring this again tonight - this is a little masterpiece - adding a little water improves the already very good dram. Something like Redbreast 12 CS is like all the fireworks go off at once (a negative in a sense); here, we see the varied patterns over a longer, slower, more complex-perceived development - it's possible to detect more patterns and colours. Honestly, adding a teaspoon of water (as Lord Ralfy of the Isle of Man does), and leaving it for a while makes for a delicate, subtle and complex experience - plus the consistent and integrity bottling (and at that price) makes it a 90 for me.

[@Gwhisky]

You know this one grew on me even more after this review. Your description is spot on. More of a subtle masterpiece than a fireworks whisky. If I can find it at a good price again, I'll have to rereview it. Fantastic stuff. Enjoy, buddy! 🥃

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

I've got an unopened bottle of this, probably bought it after a Ralfy review; not sure what I'm waiting for? I'm not the biggest fan of their 12 if I'm being honest, it's good, but there are more enjoyable malts out there for the money IMO. Off the top of my head, only The Singleton, Tomatin, Loch Lomond, and Glen Moray make 18s for less, and of those, only the Loch Lomond is @ 46%, but I do believe it's chill-filtered & coloured, so yes, this AnCnoc 18 really is priced well.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah it's definitely the kind of whisky I want to see more of. And it's legitimately a good whisky. Huge step up from the 12 imo. Like you, I'm not a big fan of that one. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the 18!

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

@@Gwhisky It might be fun to compare similarly aged and priced bottles. Perhaps one from a well-known distillery and another from a lesser one. Just an idea.

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Tomatin 18 is also 46%, non chill filtered and natural color. In fact Tomatin and AnCnoc are the best presented 18 yo single malts in this price bracket, at least where I am. Followed by Talisker 18 and Glenallachie 18. Everything else is either much more expensive or is poorly presented at low ABV, chill filtered and/or colored.

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

@@Nikolay_Nikolov Thanks. For some reason I thought Tomatin 18 was 43%? I'm probably thinking about the 12. Sells for about $80 where I am. I didn't know about its natural presentation either. I think I have a bottle of that too? I need to check my inventory. It's pretty good stuff. Talisker 18 is significantly more pricey, at least $150 in NYC, GlenAllachie is nowhere to be found.

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

@@MrChristopherMolloy Tomatin 18 goes for the equivalent of 85 USD over here. Talisker 18 is around 105 USD. Same for Glenallachie 18.

[@gursimranbedi1327]

Great review and thanks for standing ground on rating. Bang on.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks for watching!

[@JeffWhisky]

Fantastic review as always. Just finished writing my notes on this dram and wanted to gage the room. It is mad that leather is a descripter but well connected to this Whisky. Cheers.

[@Gwhisky]

Found this one particularly hard to “get to know.”

[@yoursinsincerely39]

AnCnoc is solid but not remarkable. However, I find myself reaching for both the 12 and 18 a lot during the summer months. The clean, light notes work well when its warmer outside. I enjoy the zesty, citrus notes and the creamy mouthfeel. They clearly use excellent, quality barley and it comes through in the taste. The underlying brewed black tea notes are also quite pleasing to the palate. Totally agree that AnCnoc needs more visibility and hopefully it would not be rebranded out of recognition in the future. The decline of Old Pultney hurts and I sincerely hope other malts do not suffer the same fate.

[@Gwhisky]

I agree, great malty character and some lovely tea notes. However for me the defining character of AnCnoc has always been the exotic spices. Mustard seed, cumin, even a touch of curry. They're a subtle compliment to a bright and malty profile. I like the 18 a lot. I might have scored it a point or so higher but it's been quite a chameleon thus far. Regardless, it's a massive step up from the 12, an expression that I'm personally not a big fan of. Yes it would be nice to see the AnCnoc range left alone. I miss the old Pulteney 17 and 21, and regret not buying more bottles of them back when they were readily available and affordable. That being said, I did enjoy the new 15 year old, although I could have done without the price bump for a lower age statement.

[@tomtomtommyism]

this was / is (still got a couple of drams left) a weird/interesting one.... some drams were perfectly acceptable of course but nothing exceptional .... some were amazing a few weeks later/before ..kept changing my mind about it depending on my mood/palate/how long in the glass/what kind of evening.... very much worth it though cause I got it pretty cheap (£68 I think) and for the drams I really enjoyed edit : just watching the whole video after checking the score only.... amazing we got a pretty similar experience!

[@Gwhisky]

It really is a chameleon whisky! HUGE changes with mood/palate/time in glass!

[@chrisbearg]

Great review - just picked one up and am excited!

[@Gwhisky]

Hope you enjoy it! 🥃

[@jackthepickledhound]

Right now I'm loving this. I agree. It's beautiful but not earth shattering. I also like the Aultmore 18 which may be a little heavier and juicier, or the Tomatin 18 which I find to be a wild ride as it really opens up in the glass.

[@Gwhisky]

That Aultmore is pretty pricey where I live. Mixed reviews + over-the-top price tag gives me pause...

[@janteun3]

bro you own me a review i know you have the bottle where is my video of the AnCnoc 24 i know you have the bottle i seen youre video of the 7 whisky who been better over the years i need that review bro i love AnCnoc en i have olso the 24 in my stock

[@dextercool]

Try the AnCnoc 125th Anniversary: 16yo Cask Strength - a stand-out. Maybe hard to snag but worth it to register an AnCnoc that is not light - it's more intense and very pretty. I find the Ancnoc 12 to be a great little sipper.

[@Gwhisky]

I haven't seen that one around in a while. Not sure it's available at all here anymore. Sounds interesting!

[@dextercool]

@@Gwhisky You're right, I just checked - it was on very limited release. There were 2 in the best store near me so I assumed it was on wider distribution. In any case, I would imagine Ancnoc should come out with a stronger ABV - this one was perfume-y and very floral. Keep up the excellent work - producing nice reviews and not too esoteric in terms of drams chosen - I'm only two years in but given lockdown and the wealth of reviews plus my profligate ways I feel I've gotten about 5 years in ;) greetings from Poland!

[@Gwhisky]

AnCnoc is hit or miss with me, but I'd absolutely love to see more higher strength releases from them out there! Thanks for the kind words, Declan. You've been watching the channel a lot recently and you've been leaving plenty of comments and feedback, which is genuinely appreciated! 🙏 Greetings from Taiwan! 🥃

[@WhiskyCanuck]

I do like anCnoc but feel thar their range doesn't come alive until the 18yo and up. The younger ones are more fruity and less rich, end up being a little flat to me. The 22yo is probably the sweet spot in the core range - it's very similar to the 24, but much more affordable (maybe 60% the price). The even older ones are really excellent, but increasingly rare and expensive, of course. Outside the core range, if you see anything in the 125 anniversary range, jump on them. I've only tried a couple, but they are very good, in particular the 16yo cask strength (56.3%).

[@Gwhisky]

I'd agree. The 12 has its fans, but it does little for me. I tried the 24 and liked it, although admittedly that was a few years back. Don't think I've seen the 22 around my parts. Sounds Interesting. I'll keep an eye out for it!

[@dairyyang5457]

I like AnCnoc Peatheart batch1 more than 18yo, more characteristic and don't have that light abv feeling, definitely making me want to try Cutter and Rascan(both peated).

[@Gwhisky]

I've tried one of their peated expressions, but I don't remember which one (I THINK it was Peatheart). I liked it, but wasn't in love. Maybe I should come back to this stuff and try it again.

[@dairyyang5457]

Peatheart is bourbon/spirit-driven style, very floral. It's way more interesting than Balvenie 14yo peat week IMO.

[@SaltyCuban]

This brand has me intrigued for a while now. Problem is: can’t find the core range anywhere.

[@Gwhisky]

It's an interesting distillery. Doesn't blow me away but worth trying for its distinctive character. That being said, I'm not a big fan of the 12. If you happen across the 18 at some point for a good price it's probably the best ambassador for the house style.

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky I just found the 18. I think I overpaid though. $140. I haven’t opened it yet. Should I exchange it for an Arran 18 ($80) and get something else with the change?

[@Gwhisky]

@@SaltyCuban This is still really good. It's not Arran 18, and I do think if they're the same price the Arran is the way to go. Wouldn't be so quick to swap this one though. It's good! I'll admit $140 is a bit steep...

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky here’s what I did . I went to a store that I visit very rarely because they don’t regularly get new things. This time I saw a handful of bottles I hadn’t spotted before and I hadn’t tried any of them either. So I rushed the sale. Bought the Ancnoc 18 ($140), an Arran 18 ($80) & a 10 yr Port Charlotte heavily peated ($60). However after I got home and did a bit of price research I hear you guys from abroad find this Ancnoc for the equivalent of around $90-110. Also the price for the Arran 18 was so cheap at $80 ( I paid $93 for the 14). But if you think I should hold onto it I will.

[@Gwhisky]

@@SaltyCuban Wow so the Ancnoc is crazy expensive and the Arran is crazy cheap. I'd trade in the ancnoc, toss out $20 more and get two more Arrans. 😂

[@jonathanbean7097]

you should try the 24, incredible

[@Gwhisky]

24 is fantastic!

[@jonathanbean7097]

@@Gwhisky right on

[@dianwang5438]

How long you usually keep your opened bottles, Jeff

[@Gwhisky]

No rules for how long my bottles stay open. That mostly depends on how much self control I have when I look at them! 😂 As a general rule they stick around for minimum a couple months up to a couple years.

[@dianwang5438]

@@Gwhisky Thanks, Jeff, The reason that I asked about this because I opened around 30 bottles at same time. But I could not drink that fast, but I have to admit the flavors are gone, for cask strength, keeps longer and the change of the taste was quit interesting.

[@Gwhisky]

Cask strength is definitely the way to go if you want your whisky to last longer. That extra abv definitely helps to preserve the flavour.

[@dianwang5438]

@@Gwhisky For Sure, Jeff. You make great videos. I have to use the VPN to watch your video, Lol

[@Gwhisky]

Well thanks for the kind words and for watching. I also used to live somewhere that required a VPN, so I understand that it's extra effort for you to see my videos. Thank you very much!

[@iancrombie8862]

Scratch yer head..hard to pinpoint..Mmmm🤔

[@iancrombie8862]

Way too expensive..even on a good day..Good value??Nooooo!!!