Cocktail Comp season is upon us, after a 2 year hiatus, and we’re kicking off with a cracker.
Nc’nean (pronounced ‘Nc-nee-an’) are renowned for two things. Firstly, they make fantastic products, an organic single malt Scotch whisky and a botanical spirit. Secondly, they really care about the planet.
Unlike other distilleries who were set up and then changed to be more friendly to the planet, Nc’nean was started to exist in harmony with the planet. They are Verified net zero carbon emission from their own operations, B Corp Certified, 100% organic, use 100% renewable energy, zero waste, low impact and are the first single malt distillery to use a 100% recycled clear glass bottle for their whisky.
Now it is your turn to be part of the Nc’nean story. The winner of their first national competition will help select an AON single cask release, get their name on the bottle, receive a 6 bottle case and receive 10% of net profits from the release.
There are also lots of spot prizes through the competition stages including the rather fancy bit of kit pictured on the right, designed by Nc’nean blender and ambassador Matthew Hastings, it’s a bar wrap which converts to an apron for all your traveling bartender needs. These will be handed to the winners of each heat who will also be getting a trip to the distillery for the final.
To be in with a shout of winning this fantastic prize you will need to come up with a delicious cocktail and enter the competition using the form below. Here are your rules:
- Minimum 25ml Nc’nean organic single malt Scotch whisky or Nc’nean botanical spirit
- Maximum of 5 other ingredients (excluding garnish)
The heats will be taking place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Bristol and Manchester and also for those of you not based in any of these places there will be a virtual round. There are 6 slots at each heat up for grabs and the entries will be judged equally across three categories – Serve simplicity, quality and sustainability.
At the heats you will be given 7 minutes to produce two copies of your drink and give your presentation. This time you will be scored on – the serve (30 points), hospitality (10) and presentation (10).
We encourage you to head to the Nc’nean website to find out more about the company as the story is bound to inspire you, but in the meantime here is a snapshot of info about each of the products:
Nc’nean organic single malt Scotch whisky
Designed to be an approachable and fruity whisky, that holds up well both by itself, and when mixed into other drinks.
Much of this is achieved through a focus on fermentation. The use of two yeast varieties gives a perfect mixture of alcohol yield and fruit forward flavour. Amongst others, it gives high levels of ethyl acetate (apple/pear), ethyl caproate (pineapple), and ethyl caprate (stone fruit). It also achieves high levels of long chain fatty esters like ethyl laurate (clean/waxy), and ethyl palmitate (creamy). These longer chain esters are the oils that give Nc’nean its rich texture.
This new make spirit is then matured in two varieties of cask. The ex-Bourbon casks typically produce flavours like vanilla, coconut and cedar and the STR-Red Wine casks develop bright spice, toffee and darker fruits.
Botanical Spirit
Created in partnership with Heriot-Watt University, the Botanical Spirit contains 10 organic botanicals (juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice, chamomile, grapefruit, bog myrtle, thyme, sorrel & heather) which are combined with the new make organic barley spirit (the same spirit they age to create the whisky) and redistilled at ‘Beinn An Tuirc’ distillery in Campbeltown. Beinn An Tuirc produce Kintyre Gin, and are famous for their sustainable hydro-electric powered still, and tree replanting projects.
To enter simply fill in the form below before midnight on 31st March and Matthew will be announcing the heat competitors on April 4th. If you want some inspiration/tips check out the BarLifeUK Cocktail Competition Podcast.