From the shelf
Six of the 7
Click on a bottle for the rest of the details.
One distillery, two names on the label
anCnoc is the brand name, Knockdhu is the distillery. The distillery’s own bottlings are called anCnoc; independent bottlers put Knockdhu on them. That is confusing enough that most shops carry only one half.
We have both: the core range from twelve to eighteen years, the heavily peated Peatheart, a single cask from 2007, and three Knockdhu casks from Adelphi, Signatory and Valinch & Mallet. Of the 12 Years and the 18 Years we have exactly one left. Not sure which one you need? Give us a call. That's what we're here for.
Under the name anCnoc
The distillery's own bottlings, light and fruity in style.
anCnoc 12 Years Old
The house’s standard bottling, here in a 100 cl bottle. 40%.
€ 49,99
anCnoc 16 Years Old Rich & Sweet
Sixteen years, 43%. From the Rich & Sweet series.
€ 84,99
anCnoc 18 Years Old
Eighteen years on Spanish ex-sherry and American ex-bourbon casks, uncoloured. 46%.
€ 124,99
Built of granite, and nearly lost
- The distillery in five moments
- 1893John Morrison buys the land at Knock Hill.
- 1894In October the first whisky runs off the still.
- 1983The distillery closes in the great wave of rationalisation.
- 1989Inver House restarts production on 6 February.
- 1993The brand name anCnoc is being introduced to avoid confusion.
Knockdhu lies near the hamlet of Knock in Aberdeenshire, at the foot of Knock Hill. John Morrison bought land there in 1893 and discovered springs whose water proved so good that the Distillers Company Limited took the site over from him. Architects from Elgin designed the distillery, built of local grey granite; in October 1894 the first whisky ran. It was the first distillery that DCL built entirely from scratch itself.
After that it was up and down: closed in 1931, open again in 1933, closed during the war years when barley was needed as food (soldiers from India were billeted there at the time), and closed again in 1983, in the same wave of closures that proved fatal for Brora and Port Ellen. Knockdhu was luckier: Inver House Distillers bought it in 1988 and on 6 February 1989 everything was running again.
It is still a small distillery with two stills, where the vapour is cooled in old-fashioned worm tubs instead of modern condensers.
Why is the whisky named differently from the distillery?
When Inver House released its first own bottling in 1990, it was still called Knockdhu. That looked too much like Knockando, an established brand with another owner. In 1993 the house therefore chose a new name: anCnoc, Gaelic for ‘the hill’, pronounced ‘a-nok’. Independent bottlers may not use that brand name and therefore put Knockdhu on their label. The same whisky, a different name.
Peated and from a single cask
Two bottles that fall outside the core range.
anCnoc Peatheart Batch 2
The heavily peated range of the house, bottled in 2019 at 46%.
€ 69,99
anCnoc 15 Years Old 2007 Cask No. 649
Fifteen years from cask 649, distilled in 2007 and bottled at 52.2%.
€ 134,50
View all anCnoc in the online shop
With the current price and stock. Also search for Knockdhu for the independent bottlings.
Under the name Knockdhu
Three single casks from independent bottlers, all at cask strength.
Adelphi Selection Knockdhu 18 Years Old 2007
Eighteen years old, cask #13818, bottled in 2026 at 56.2%.
€ 119,99
Signatory Vintage Knockdhu 2008 16Y
Sixteen years old, distilled in 2008 and bottled at 56.9%.
€ 96,99
Valinch & Mallet Knockdhu 9Y 2012
Nine years, 2022 release from The Young Masters series. 52.6%.
€ 95,99
Frequently asked questions about anCnoc
How much anCnoc does ’t Bockje have in stock?
Seven bottles under the name anCnoc, of which six are available immediately; the Peatheart Batch 3 is temporarily sold out. In addition there are three bottlings that appear under the distillery name Knockdhu, so nine in total from this house.
What is the difference between anCnoc and Knockdhu?
None. Knockdhu is the distillery, anCnoc is the brand name the owner has used since 1993 to avoid confusion with Knockando. Independent bottlers may not use that brand name and put Knockdhu on the label.
How do you pronounce anCnoc?
As ‘a-nok’. It is Gaelic for ‘the hill’, a reference to Knock Hill, where the water comes from.
Which anCnoc is best to try first?
The 12 Years Old is the starting point: light and fruity, the style the house is known for. If you like smoke, skip that one and go straight to the Peatheart, which sits at forty ppm.
Is anCnoc a Speyside or a Highland?
Officially Highland, although it is often described as Speyside because the distillery lies right by the border. On our labels and in the webshop we follow the official classification.
Does ’t Bockje also ship anCnoc abroad?
Yes. We ship to about forty countries. Email info@bockje.nl if you want to know whether your country is included or how many bottles fit in one shipment.
Order, collect or drop by
- In stock in our shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen
- Available to order online and have delivered, including abroad
- Order online or collect in Bathmen
- Personal advice via 0570 541 278 or info@bockje.nl
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 09.00–18.00, Saturday 09.00–17.00. Closed Monday and Sunday
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18.
All 9 bottles at a glance
Each bottle shows the details from the label.
Keep browsing
- All 4 bottles of this brandIn our database, with price and stock
- Our complete whisky rangeMore than 3,986 different bottles
- All whisky brands we stockFrom Aberfeldy to Yamazaki
- AdelphiThe bottler behind the eighteen-year-old Knockdhu
- AberfeldyHighlands: honey-sweet and approachable
- AerstoneLowlands: peated and unpeated side by side
- AnnandaleLowlands: reopened in 2014, single casks only
- ArdmoreHighlands: peated, mainly via independent bottlers
- About our wine and spirits shopBrink 2, Bathmen
Photo of the distillery: Ralph Greig (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Bottle images: own online shop.
Brink 2, Bathmen
All our stock is in the shop, not in a warehouse somewhere else. If you walk in with a name you couldn't find anywhere, it is often simply here on the shelf. You can also call: 0570 541 278.
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18
- Tuesday to Friday 09.00 – 18.00
- Saturday 09.00 – 17.00
- Monday and Sunday closed