Diageo Special Releases 2011 - Knockando 1985

Of all the Diageo Special Releases this year, only one failed to impress me as much as I had hoped. This was the Knockando 25 Year Old, this whisky was one of three special releases from existing rather than closed distilleries. The other two hit the mark like Robin Hood at an archery contest. This is not to say this whisky was bad in any way, but for a 25 year old sherry cask whisky I was a little underwhelmed, especially with such great sherried whiskies emerging from Scotland currently. Furthermore, with a recommended retail price of £135, I didn't think it offered the depth and complexity required for a whisky in that price bracket. Anyway, with no further ado...

Knockando 1985
43% - 25 Years Old - First Fill Sherry Casks
Nose: Lots of toffee to begin with Christmas cake and raisin notes following, beneath lies a dark anise character. Clear Oloroso presence.
Palate: Demerara sugar, stewed red fruits (predominately strawberry), smoother with water with slight chocolate notes.
Finish: Too short for my liking, espresso and a touch of salt, giving the finish a drying character.
Overall: The Knockando was not a bad whisky, but didn't offer what I would expect for its age or price. There was an intensity lacking that maybe could have been added with being bottled at cask strength.

The Glen Ord 25 - Look Sharpe

Big rock anthems, scaling mountains, pepperoni pizza and any time Sean Bean hits someone in a movie, are moments in my life where I regress to being a thirteen year old and want to scream, ‘Hell Yeah!’ I imagine it’s the same feeling stockbroker’s get when they hit the big one, or what base jumpers have plummeting towards oblivion, or what politicians had when they finally got one over News International. It is that welling up of adrenaline in the chest and the perhaps not profound realisation that life should always be dominated with this ‘Hell Yeah’ sensation, it drives people to think, to hell with the desk job, buy a campervan and ‘experience’ the world.

The Bean in 'Sharpe'

The Glen Ord 25 year old gives me this same feeling. It is a massive cask-strength whisky that screams ‘hell yeah!’ it is unpretentious in it’s size and grandeur. It overwhelms the sinuses, it Rugby tackles the tongue and it roars down the oesophagus like a dragon after a thieving hobbit. I wouldn’t describe it as a clever whisky; indeed I wouldn’t describe rock anthems or pepperoni pizza as being a thinking person’s cup of tea. However, the Glen Ord 25 overpowers silly thoughts of subtlety, complexity and elegance, and sometimes that isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes we need to spontaneously get up rip off our shirts and air guitar like there’s no tomorrow or anybody watching. Sometimes we need a whisky that keeps us grounded and reminds us what a whisky should be - big, strong and fun - kind of like Sean Bean. Man crushes aside this is a whisky to cap off a meaty barbeque, when the beers have led conversation to less refined topics and you want to finish on a rush. Slainte!

Glen Ord 25 Year Old
58.3% - Bottled 2004
Nose: Intense thanks to the high ABV, orange peel and ginger stomp around with rum butter and nutmeg calling from the sidelines. Candle tallow whips up a smoky fug that gives the Ord a more rounded character.
Palate: Orange and chewy with a good malty kick of power.
Finish: Long, stomach warming, throat burning and deeply satisfying.
Overall: Incredible body, positively obese. Rip-roaringly good.