Knockando

Pronounced “knock-AN-do” (or du) sounds comical to English speakers, but comes from the Gaelic ‘Cnoc-an-dhu’ and translates as “a little black hill”, and is named after the village in which it stands. Knockando is hidden in a fold in the hills overlooking the river Spey at a fine spot for salmon fishing. The water with which the whisky is made rises from granite and flows over peat.

The distillery was established in 1898. Knockando was the first distillery in Scotland to be built with electric lighting.

Not much promoted since the integration into Diageo, Knockando is among a small group of malts that are especially influential in the J&B blends. The Singleton, Auchroisk, and Strathmill being others.
Knockando is a sophisticated malt, and its labelling policy is somewhat elaborate. In the US, where some consumers believe the guarantee “12-year-old” essential to identify a premium malt, this phrase is used, along with the year of distillation, on the label of the principal version. In Europe, the malt is marketed under its season of distillation. The notion is that the malt is bottled when it is mature, rather than at a specific age.
One season does not differ dramatically from another, though there are very subtle differences.

At older ages, the whisky gains greatly in complexity and sherry character.