Teaninich 10 Year Old

One of the larger horses in Diageo’s stall but without much recognition. It’s Diageo’s policy to let every distillery have its own release, if not with a proper distillery label than as part of the Flora & Fauna range. Enter the Teaninich 10yo, a young Northern Highlander matured on ex-bourbon(?) casks. Had my first taste of this whisky well over a year ago, whilst browsing the wares of the local whisky specialist, but never bothered to write down my impressions. To put it simple, I was not too impressed. In doing some research on this particular dram, I soon noticed that there is a wide variety of conflicting tasting notes, even the main whisky critics don’t seem able to reach a consensus. Attributable to batch inconsistency or just a whisky that is hard to qualify?

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Description: a 10yo entry in the Fauna & Flora range, matured in ex-bourbon casks, bottled at the appropriate 43% ABV.

Nose: dry and grassy in style but still relatively fresh in taste. Base aroma of olive oil, notes of cereal, lemon, a touch of pepper and light acrid smoke.

Mouth: a viscous body with a sharp palate. Some notes of laurel leaves, olive oil, orange zest and rice.

Finish: short I must admit. A touch of nutmeg, but mainly pepper, a bit nutty maybe: pecan?

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Verdict: Ah heck, it wasn’t terrible, but mediocre and unremarkable at best. A lower dresser for blends that is a perfect example why not every distillery is suited for the production of commercially lucrative single malts.

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