Annabel
Thomas was a management consultant in the
United Kingdom. In 2013, she dreamed of having her family start a distillery.
Annabel stepped away from her consulting job and trekked to Islay to learn how
whisky was made. What she saw disappointed her.
She
discovered that distilleries used non-organic barley and a lot of gas,
electricity, and oil during production. Annabel believed a distillery could
produce great whiskey while being Earth-friendly, so she started raising money
to make that happen.
In
the meantime, she consulted with Dr. Jim
Swan to set things up as she wanted. Dr.
Swan helped design the distillery, and four years later, Annabel was distilling
her organic Highland Scotch whisky and releasing it to the public in 2020. The Nc’nean Distillery was no longer just a dream!
Nc’nean
is, without a doubt, an unusual name. It is a shortened version of Neachneohain,
an ancient Gaelic goddess known as the Queen of Spirits and defender of nature.
She
procures her barley from Scotland’s east coast and tinkers with yeasts used
typically for wine and rum production. Fermentation occurs over five days. The
distillery is entirely fueled by renewable energy. Once fully matured, the
whisky is packaged in 100% recyclable glass bottles. Nc’nean was the first
distillery in the UK to do this.
Nc’nean
is B-Corp certified, meaning it adheres to strict,
verifiable, and often reviewed standards that include environmental issues and
accounting, hiring, legal, and others. In 2021, it was the first whisky
distillery in the UK verified as net zero emissions for scopes 1 and 2 and
carbon neutral for scope 3.
Today,
I’ll explore Nc’nean’s Huntress
Orchard Cobbler Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky, a
limited-edition run of 6153 - 700ml bottles worldwide.
“We run two different spirit runs each year, one for whisky set to be released at a younger age, and one set to be released after ten plus years. The spirit matured for Huntress Orchard Cobbler comes from the distillation in the week after this spirit recipe is switched over – a time where cut points are changed and unusually high fruity compounds flood into the spirit. So fruity, that the whisky is named after one of the team’s favourite desserts.”– Nc’nean Distillery
Huntress
Orchard Cobbler is distilled from 100% organic Scottish barley. Both Anchor and
Fermentus yeasts were used. Aged at least four years, Nc’nean was kind enough
to provide a breakdown of the cooperage involved: 66% STR red wine casks, 31%
ex-Bourbon barrels, and 3% former Sherry casks. The whisky was then bottled at
48.5% ABV (97°). It is non-chill filtered and certified organic as GB-ORG-06 by
the Biodynamic Agricultural Association. It has a suggested price of $120.00.
I
must thank ImpEx
Beverages, the exclusive USA distributor for
Nc’nean, for this #DrinkCurious opportunity. They were kind enough to provide
me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.
Appearance: I
poured this whisky into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. Its color was bright
gold. A medium rim formed, discharging thick, crazed tears.
Nose: The fruity,
fragrant aroma included smells of peaches, apricots, pears, honey, and cherries.
I inhaled that vapor into my mouth and encountered baked apples.
Palate: Huntress
Orchard Cobbler’s texture was creamy, and it felt like it was melting across my
tongue. I tasted cherries, apricots, and honey on the front of my palate. Next
came flavors of honey, pastry, and almonds. The back included vanilla, oak, and
a wisp of smoky peat.
Finish: That
kiss of smoke stuck slowly built as the finish lingered. The whisky featured vanilla
pudding, oak, apricots, honey, and pastry notes. The duration clocked in at
2:02, making it very long.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This unpeated
Highland single malt Scotch will impress you if you enjoy fruity Scotches (who
doesn’t?). Its peat-like smoke is more of a complimentary cameo than a note you’ll hone in
on. There is absolutely nothing to dislike and everything to love. Nc’nean
Huntress Orchard Cobbler is one of those whiskies where the price is
irrelevant, and easily takes my Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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