Tekel - Ankara
Turkey is not exactly the first country you think of when you think ‘whisky’; let alone ‘single malt whisky’. But still, a malt whisky is made in this country straddling the border between Europe and Asia. Tekel, the government-owned distillery, produces a 5 y.o. malt whisky called “Ankara”. Before I go on, I must note that there is some confusion around what exactly “Ankara” is made from. Tekel’s web-site describes “Ankara” as a 3 y.o. whisky distilled from a mixture of barley and rice. But the label of the bottle of ‘Malt Viski’ I have states it is a 5 y.o. What is very likely the case is that Tekel produces a 3 y.o. whisky from barley and rice and a 5 y.o. whisky from malted barley. I tried to get in touch with Tekel to have the matter cleared up once and for all, but several e-mails were all met with silence. Also given that Jim Murray does not appear to have any doubts about the single-malted-ness of “Ankara” (and he visited the distillery after all), I will assume that the 5 y.o. “Ankara” is a genuine single malt unless and until I see any evidence to the contrary.
OK, that out of the way, what about the whisky itself? Well, “Ankara” ranks pretty high on the ‘quality for money’ scale. That is partly because a bottle is dirt-cheap (we’re talking a few quid), but also because the whisky is quite drinkable. It’s a light, slightly sweetish whisky, with notes of vanilla, toffee and light fruits. The only thing you can fault it for is that it tends to be a bit spirity at times. Still, “Ankara” is a malt that I think many people would not spot as non-Scottish if offered in a blind line-up with light Speysiders and Lowlanders.
