Teaninch 30yo 1975/2006 Dewar Rattray Cask Collection cask 9419
Teaninich distillery is located in Alness, making it another Eastern Highlander.
Built in 1817, the original 4 still distillery chugged along till 1970, when a new distillery with 6 stills was built adjacent to the old Teaninich. The crisis of the 1980s saw the original 4 still distillery closed and the expansion mothballed till 1991. Old Teaninich was demolished in 1999, leaving the somewhat modern looking buildings seen below:
Great plans for Teaninich have been announced though, Diageo will solidify Teaninich’s position as a blending malt with a GBP12 mil expansion, doubling its output, as well as building a huge new as yet unnamed distillery next door with 16 stills. Press release here. The purpose of all this is primarily blending of course, when you remember that Teaninich is a major component of Johnnie Walker Red Label, it all makes sense.
Not many Teaninich OBs, back to the independents then:
Teaninch 30yo 1975/2006 Dewar Rattray Cask Collection cask 9419
486 bottles, 60.8% – not a typo, must have been some huge restaved barrel the size of a butt to produce 486 bottles after 30 years.
Nose: Powerful, big bright citrus and mint. Reined in by equally big aromatic old wood and vanillins. Then malty and warm herbs (oregano?). That woody perfume is everywhere, and talc? With water: More wood scents – vanilla, sandalwood, rounded fresh fruit, and richly herbal.
Palette: Medium weight but complex, malty sweet, unlit tobacco, peppery hot and more woody aromas. With water: More dry leaves, dry spice. More fruitiness. Still a big whisky.
Finish: Long and malt, with sour notes.
Not an easy whisky to follow, powerful at 30 and complex in a closely knitted way.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
- Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
- Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
- Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
- Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
- Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1%
- Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% vs Clynelish 27 yo 1982 / 2009 Synch Eli Daily Dram 46%
- Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% vs Shizuoka ‘private cask’ 2017 / 2022 #2017-108 61%
- Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 /2021 SMWS 3.327 ‘Siren’s Song’ 57.1%
- Talisker 25 yo ‘Bottle TA25 3987’ 45.8% ~ bottle code L0296CM004 bottled 2020 vs Ledaig 11 yo 2008 / 2019 The Swan Song & 1BRD #700104 58.7%
whiskyrific 