KnockandoRichlyMatured15YO1997(700mL)

<p>A real Knock-out. </p><p>The distillery of Knockando stands on the banks of the river Spey, which gives its name to Speyside, a region in the north-easteren Scottish Highlands long renowned as the home of finest malt whiskies. Built in 1898 by <em>John Thompson</em>, the distillery lies in the village of the same name, Knockando, itself derived from Gaelic “<em>Cnoc-an-dhu</em>“, meaning “<em>little black hill</em>“. Only purest <em>natural </em>ingredients are used to make Knockando: malted barley, yeast and <em>crystal</em> <em>clear spring </em>water from the Cardnach spring, which lies in the hills above distillery. We rarely see a bottle of this <em>beautiful dram</em> as a stand-alone; it is usually blended to give its perfection to others. <em>Knockando Richly Matured 15YO 1997</em>, which was aged for 15 years in a mixture of <em>Sherry </em>and refill <em>Bourbon </em>casks, is a real treat and has Speyside written all over it. It shows generous accents of rich fruit and sweet spices. They <em>smoothly </em>emphasize the natural character of Knockando, with its subtle hints of <em>almond</em>, and give way to a <em>deep </em>finish.</p>