Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Teaninich.

Bottler: Mossburn.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 59.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 10 years. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2017.

Cask type: Butt (refill sherry).

Price: Gift, could be found locally for ~$90 USD.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 8 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: austere and mineralic, yellow fruits (nectarines), salt, malt, yeasty bread, a hint of inner tube rubber.

Palate: creamy body ~ wet rocks, more yellow fruit, earth, slate, water tames the heat without flattening anything,  a hint of malted milk chocolate, green tea.

Finish: medium length ~ more minerals and wet rocks, a vaguely citric bite, biscuits.

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Conclusion: This was my first Teaninich, surprisingly—it’s one of the Diageo workhorse distilleries I’ve wanted to explore for ages, but have never got around to it until now. The label says it was matured in a butt, presumably a refill sherry butt, although the color of the liquid and the character of its flavor seem to undermine that. This is austere, mineral-driven whisky, but with really nice hints of earth, bread, yellow fruit, chocolate and green tea throughout…for 59.1% it strikes me as quite light and bright. It’s a profile so spirit-forward and transparent that I’d not typically associate it with sherry maturation, but there you go. It is quite tasty, and swims extremely well with water added—losing a bit of heat but none of its intensity nor sweeter secondary notes. I’ll have to seek out more Teaninich.

Final Score: 84.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.