Knockando Direct Imports

In Gaelic, Knockando (Cnoc-an-dhu) means "little black hillock". It was founded in 1898 by John Thomson in the early 1900s, and was the first Speyside distillery to use electricity. A neighbour to big names like Cardhu and Glenfarclas, Knockando is situated on an isolated bend of the Spey River and is another Diageo dark horse distillery, with the major component going into the J&B blends. Closed two years after its creation, it was then acquired by W&A Gilbey Ltd, the famous Gin producers from London, who later rebuilt the distillery and doubled its production capacity. More recently, it became part of the Diageo group, but their whiskies are not always available on Australian shores. Only 8% of production is marketed as single malt, typically bottled with a vintage statement, and they persist with a long-standing practice of bottling the casks only when they are deemed to be at their peak maturation, as opposed to bottling them automatically at certain ages. Lightly smoky, fruity, and nutty, Knockando complements the savoury notes in rich, vegetarian dishes but they are also delicious on their own.