2012 Knockdhu, AD Rattray 11 yo 57.0%

Salty and spicy, a little briny, with ripe flavours of stonefruit mingling with the ghostly suggestion of a thread of peat. This is a lovely marriage of a Speyside-style whisky with a very discreet peat influence. Knockdhu Distillery is out on the eastern fringes of Speyside. It’s a product of the 19th century whisky boom, and made it through the vicissitude of the 20th century (closures, re-openings, name changes and billeting soldiers during World War II) to arrive in the 21st century in very rude health. Custard tart meets driftwood smoke, forms a romance. (NT 05/07/24)