Exciting news today, as we’re finally allowed to talk about the new release from Nc’nean distillery! Nc’nean Quiet Rebels: Annabel, named after the distillery’s founder and CEO Annabel Thomas, is the first in a seasonal series of new bottlings from Scotland’s first net zero emissions distillery.
Nc’nean’s Quiet Rebels series is designed to celebrate the distillery’s people and show a different, more adventurous side to their single malt whisky than the ongoing general release batches of Nc’nean Organic.
The ‘Quiet Rebels’ phrase has been used by Nc’nean for some time now, descriptive both of Neachneohain - the folk tale Queen of Spirits from whom the distillery takes its name - and of Nc’nean’s attitude to the prevailing ‘rules’ of Scotch whisky, as demonstrated by their enthusiasm for serving their single malt whisky with soda water, in their boundary-pushing yeast and cask experiments and, most of all, in their commitment to eco-sustainability.
It is these cask experiments that the first Quiet Rebels release will highlight. The cask recipe for Nc’nean’s first edition of Quiet Rebels has been selected by Annabel herself and includes some casks that previously held the Hungarian dessert wine Tokaji Aszu.
Nc’nean is not the first distillery to use Tokaji casks to mature whisky, but they’re certainly uncommon and it’s a pleasingly bold move by Annabel and Nc’nean to use them for the first Quiet Rebels release, particularly as the previous Batch bottlings have stuck rigidly to the cask recipe of 65% STR (Shaved, Toasted, Recharred) red wine casks and 35% ex-bourbon casks.
For that reason alone, Nc’nean Quiet Rebels will be well worth checking out, as the contrast between the STR red wine casks and Tokaji’s intense honeyed fruitiness will no doubt be an eye-opener.
The official tasting notes mention ‘a sweet, velevety texture’ and ‘a richly perfumed spirit, with notes of floral almond biscotti, desiccated coconut and tropical fruits.’ Sounds delicious, we can’t wait to try it.
Nc’nean Quiet Rebels: Annabel is an edition of 4505 bottles at 48.5% and will be available on our shop from next week - sign up to our mailing list, Facebook and Instagram pages to find out when and how they are being sold.