Nc'nean Organic Single Malt Whisky - Quiet Rebels: Matthew

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48.5% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Quiet Rebels: Matthew explores the interplay between sherry casks and sweet-and-salty flavours. Nc'nean's blender Matthew drew inspiration for his edition from his love of sherry and cinema. The blend comprises 47% whisky from Manzanilla casks, 51% whisky from bourbon casks and 2% whisky from an Oloroso Sherry Butt. The Manzanilla Hogshead's lengthy seasoning with sherry is a particular contributor to the sweet-and-salty character, alongside the distinctive notes of pineapple cake and roasted hazelnuts.

The Manzanilla casks were filled with spirit in April 2020, the bourbon casks in August 2019 and the Oloroso cask in September 2017. The whisky was bottled in August 2026 at 48.5%, with a release of 4,700 bottles. For this edition, Nc'nean used exclusively organic Scottish barley and Anchor and Fermentis yeasts. This single malt is not smoky, contains no added colouring and is not chill-filtered. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in a gift tube.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, sweet-and-salty toasted notes mingle with baked pineapple and roasted hazelnuts. Vanilla and caramel remain subtly in the background.
• Palate: On the palate, intense, sweet pineapple notes meet nutty depth and salted caramel. Gentle spice and a hint of citrus complement the flavours.
• Finish: Roasted hazelnuts define the finish. It is slightly dry and spicy, with a delicate bitterness from sherry tannins, while oak stays out of the foreground.

Distillery/Bottler:

Annabel Thomas founded Nc'nean on her family's farm in Drimnin, on the Morvern peninsula on Scotland's west coast. Construction of the distillery began in 2015 and was completed in 2017; its first whisky was released in 2020. Team members bring their personal preferences to the Quiet Rebels series. Working with the blender, they select suitable casks, and the whiskies from these are married into a limited edition bearing the team member's name.

Nc'nean uses only unpeated organic Scottish barley. Fermentation lasts between 68 and 114 hours, depending on the production schedule. To create its house style, the distillery combines a yeast that encourages fruity aromas with a traditional distilling yeast. During distillation, a narrowly defined heart cut is collected; the cut points are also chosen according to the intended bottling age of the spirit. Maturation takes place in warehouses on the distillery grounds.

The two copper pot stills are heated by a biomass boiler. Nc'nean fuels it with wood chips from the local forest, replanting the trees that are harvested. Renewable electricity supplies the distillery's remaining electrical needs. Spent grain and pot ale from whisky production are used on the farm as animal feed and fertiliser respectively.

Facts: