Scotland, Northern Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Teaninich

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Teaninich distillery
Teaninich Distillery
Alness
Ross-shire IV17 OXB
+44 1349 885 001
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date 1817

photos

The Teaninich distillery has been founded by captain Hugh Munro in 1817, and in those days life was not easy for legal distillers. It was rather difficult to get barley, because it was massively bought by lots of moonshine distillers who were operating in the same area. Things began to get better with the promulgation of the Excise Act in 1823.
The Teaninich distillery remained in the same family up to 1934 when it was acquired by the D.C.L. (Distillers Company Ltd.). However as it was not easy to combine the military life an this of a distiller, the distillery has been rented out. The last tenant was Robert Innes Cameron, who was also shareholder of Benrinnes, Tamdhu and Linkwood.
Teaninich is famous because it was the first distillery who had electric light. It doubled its production capacity in 1962. In 1971 a new still house, called "a side" with 6 stills was created. The old one, called "b side" has been rebuild in 1974 but mothballed in 1985.
The first official versions of Teaninich single malt were marketed in 1992. Most of the production is used in the UDV blends, amongst others Johnnie Walker.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Teaninich Official bottlings

Teaninich
Rare Malts
1973-1997

Age
 23 years
Alcohol percentage
 57.1%
Bottler
 Official
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Teaninich Rare Malts 23 years
Quite a smooth nose where bee wax hints hide partially very complex notes consisting of malted sweetness and citrus acidity, the whole in a perfect balance. Some salt and remote sea spray enhance the pleasure of nosing this whisky. In the palate, a kind of freshness and a nice complexity, with notes from malt to nut, nicely subtle whit no hinder at all from the high percentage of alcohol. The finish is rather long and very smooth. Hits of hazelnut and cashew nut put the finishing touch to the pleasure.
18/20
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Teaninich: independent bottlings
 

Teaninich
16 years
Chieftain's Choice

Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Cask
 Porto
Bottler
 Ian McLeod
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 After a 15 years stay in a bourbon cask, this whisky has finished its maturation in a port cask.
The nose denotes fresh and light citrus fruit fragrances.
The taste is dry and powerful, with fruit hints inherited in the port casks.
The finish denotes some port notes and a slight peat hint. ..

(la Maison du Whisky)

This Northern Highlands malt is pleasant from the very first nosing. Slight fragrances (nut?) mixed with malt. The taste develops from malt to citrus fruits (slightly acid) and the finish is very long, rather dry and slightly peaty. A very good bottle, even if the general impression is that this whisky is rather acid and without exaggerated complexity.  
17/20
The nose detects a slightly acid fragrance (citrus fruit). The taste is relatively dry, and reveal citrus hints as well, and is very pleasant, despite this acid hint already present in the nose. The finish is of average length, and some port hints mix themselves to the memories of this nice whisky.
17/20
Woody smells, mixed with a kind of citrus acidity characterize the ose; The particularly dry mouth reveals citrus hints and some sherry flavours. A nice finish, dry too, but lingering and quite pleasant.
17/20
The first nose impression are between farmy smells and hints of yeast. Discrete notes of cut grass and a light veil of smoke behind it.
The mouth seems to be better than the nose was. A kind of complexity, pleasant fruity notes and others, slightly bitter ones make the essential of the palate impressions. Traces of citrus fruit give the whole a nice freshness.
The finish is lingering and marked by the smells which were present at the nosing. Some wet hay and clear alcohol hints.
16/20
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Teaninich: samples

Teaninich
Best Casks of Scotland
1997
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
The nose is fresh, with both cut grass and a hint of pepper, with a touch of wax. Some citrus hints as well. In the palate, the first impression is pleasantly bitter, find wood hints, but not close to what the nose annouced. Some vanilla with a hint of smoke on the background. The mouth is surprisingly sweet, while the nose announced spices. Nice contrast. The finish is rather long, slightly bitter, perfectly in the mood of the mouth. A very nice surprise.
18/20
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Teaninich 30 years
Cask Collection

Bottler
 Dewar Rattray
Alcohol percentage
 57.7%
Teaninich 30 Dewar Rattray
The nose is exceptionally complex, with a touch of peat, some smoke, bunch of flowers, discrete citrus aromas, hazelnut, hay and fruits. The nose is close to perfection. This light alcohol tingling is just a shame.
In the palate, bitterness is the first detected impression. It develops rather soon on citrus notes before ending on very nice hints between walnut and wood. The fruity notes the nose detected seem to have disappeared, but without compromising the quality of this whisky and without dimming it complexity.
The finish is warm and very long with still the same impression of very pleasant fine wood.
18/20
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Northern Highlands

Northern Highlands map

Most of the distilleries of that area are settled on the wild and windy seaside between Narin and John 'O Groats, on the Eastern coast.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information about the Northern Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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