Teaninich Flora & Fauna 10 Year

Stop number 98 on the SDT is Teaninich. For a history on this Highland distillery, see @LeeEvolved’s review just before mine. Thanks for doing the research for me Lee! Part of the Flora and Fauna series by Diageo, this single malt is bottled at 43% ABV and most likely has colorant added making it a golden straw color and being 43% it is surely chill filtered. The nose is somewhat light, but rich. Concord and white grapes, dark berries. A bit of a confectionary feel to it. A little nutty like pecan or hazelnut. Sherry notes, mostly figs and raisins. Floral honey, light lemon oil, green tea and faint mint. A pinch of coffee grounds together with hazelnut and vanilla creamer. The palate is sweet and bitter at the same time, but it definitely leans to the bitter side. Pepper and very little oak, if any. Licorice, light sherry notes, nutmeg and hazelnut. Orange oil and a hint of lemon. A malty taste but not too strong. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry but a little creamy. The finish is medium long with tea, licorice, nutmeg and nougat. I rather enjoyed the nose. Not great, but good. The palate was a touch too bitter and not very cohesive. I do like the style, but it was a miss. Not a swing and miss, but more like a foul down the 3rd base line. Overall it’s not too bad and I can see its appeal as a blending component. A decent price at $55, but a tough buy at that price. I would turn down a dram if there wasn’t anything better on the table, but I’m not running out to buy it either. 3.25 and thanks to @Telex for the sample. Cheers

Nose: Fresh, oily and sweetly fragrant with a light citrus fruitiness. With time in the glass powdered confectioner's sugar shows through along with malty cereal aromas. A faint maritime hint lurks in the background. Palate: The arrival is sweet and light with a good mouthfeel - it's slightly oily but not quite creamy. The palate has little development. There are barley sugar and butterscotch notes and milky breakfast tea, then it veers into slight bitter dryness but retains a pleasing cereal quality like warm brioche. Finish: Short, sweet and bready. The nose on this is strongly reminiscent of Johnnie Walker blended whisky, particularly Red Label, and that's with good reason. Diagio uses it to define the core aroma profile of their blends, which is a very sensible way to use this whisky as it has a pleasantly forward floral nose but less in the way of palate. Teaninich is seldom encountered as a single malt, except in this 10 year old release and a handful of independent bottlings. Gordon & McPhail released an 8 year old expression a couple of years ago and it was a pleasant, light whisky ideal for summer quaffing. In the final analysis this whisky seemed to me to be more like a good quality light blend than a single malt. It lacks the personality or authority necessary to command one's attention. Still, it is well made and tasting it was educational as regards the JW profile. I just wouldn't recommend anyone run out and grab a bottle as it's better than average but nothing special. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Another week has gone by. It couldn’t go fast enough. The week started with 10 degree weather as the high temperature. Stress of work (as we all have) and dealing with aging issues of our family dog. This weeks pour is a sample from the SDT courtesy of @Telex. @LeeEvolved provides a well detailed history of Teaninich. Referring to his research, this is the primary whisky of JWR. (@LeeEvolved, Distiller Review; 2018). The color is pale gold. Fruity and a bright nose of apricots, white grapes, honey and coconut. There is a creamy buttery sweetness comprised of caramel, confectionery sugar and a smidge of milk chocolate. A small amount of oak and nuttiness of almonds and pecans. The palate takes in a sweetness but not overly so and somewhat brief. Honeyed tea, vanilla. The brief sweetness turns spicy and bitter. Red pepper flakes, fresh ginger root, soy sauce with lemon oil and oak. The aforementioned flavors are delivered in a medium body. A bit of a tingle on the tongue on the finish yielding to nutmeg and oak. The lemon oil carries from the arrival and remains on the finish. This medium length finish is finalized with an oaky dryness. The nose is quite inviting and vibrant. But what is promising on the nose is not as promising on the palate. Not terrible but the bitterness seems to diminish and harshen the experience through the finish. A dram that I would not necessarily turn down but not one I would reach for first either. Thanks @Telex for the sample. [82/100][Tasted: 1/25/19]

I’m back to sampling pours from our final round of distilleries for the SDT and this one comes thanks to @telex. Teaninich is a Highland distillery and this is the only official bottling from the distillery itself- for the Flora & Fauna line for Diageo. Now, normally I’d try to give a little history and info about the distillery, like: they were founded in 1817 by High Munro, who occupied Teaninich Castle. It’s been mothballed twice: from 1939-1946 due to WWII and again from 1985-1991 because of poor Scotch sales around the world. It’s currently owned by Diageo and was remodeled in 2013 and...well, here’s all I really need to say: Teaninich is the primary component of Johnnie Walker Red. It’s champagne gold in the taster with oily and heavy, water droplets running down all sides. The Flora & Fauna is 10 years old and bottled at 43% ABV. The nose is freshly churned butter, light florals and weak oak tannins. The palate is rather harsh and lacking anything except mild butterscotch notes. The finish is medium with warm alcohol notes and not much else. Overall, it’s the primary component of Johnnie Walker Red- so, if you like that stuff you’ll love Teaninich. Otherwise, I’d look elsewhere...any elsewhere. Thanks to Jason for the pour, let’s score it and barrel on towards the finish. 2 generous stars. Cheers.

No legs to speak of, but I doubt there is added color. A very faint nose, but it’s pleasant. Subtle woodiness, vanilla, ginger, lemon, tea, white grapes, and a ton of floral properties. Unfortunately, it’s not drawing me in for a taste since it’s outside the scope of what I usually enjoy, but let’s try. Palate is delicate, but with an oily mouth coat. Slight honey, sourdough, slight mineral, mint, very slight smoke and cream. Hmm, it’s not bad, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I need a bit more sherry or peat. The finish is long, buttery, and ends with some more honey and orange rind notes, which are redeeming qualities. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster. The theme will be the RHCP’s cover of “Love Rollercoaster” 2.5. I can see why it’s mostly used for blends.

Believe me, the label on this one makes me want to think it's a better dram than it might actually be — quite pretty. Pale morning sunlight is the color, and the nose fits well with the visual in bringing pear, lemon blossom, sugar in the raw, and citrus fruit to mind; the taste reminds me of a sea breeze and is lightly malty, with cinnamon and perhaps cardamom making their way in the more I take; the finish is floral, slightly peppery, and is of short-medium length; I'd easily get a bottle of this — it's a light Highland malt but still a worthy one. Unfortunately this small bit at Edinburgh's The Abbotsford might be the best I can do. Certainly 3.5 out of 4 stars.