Tasting note by Best of Wines

Where the Grass is Greenest

When looking for some fine samples to include in this year's Blind Tasting Competition, one of our suppliers pointed out that James Eadie had just released a Teaninich that we would be crazy not to include! He told us that it was probably one of the best value whiskies he tried for a while. When trying this dram, I must say that he wasn't lying! An incredibly intense and versatile nose with a wonderful clear and straightforward flavour. In addition, Teaninich is not one of the most commonly known distilleries, so it would certainly pose a challenge for our competitors. This is the kind of whisky we ourselves love having on a shelf at home to sip once in a while. It is smooth, not too aggressive in its alcohol and certainly a whisky for all drinkers.

COLOUR
Straw gold
NOSE
The nose is really fresh and mild with clear hints of citrus (mainly clementine) and freshly mown grass. On top of that there certainly is a sweeter fruitier note, some peaches, lemon drops, and grilled pineapple. This nose can best be described as summer! After nosing a little longer some green herbs and green tea enter the nostrils, along with vanilla and baker's yeast resulting in a brioche/shortbread-like effect. The nose is so full of everything, with brandied fruits, hints of cedar wood, marzipan and the Chinese dried red plums. I'm not sure if you're familiar with those, but if you go in any Chinese supermarket you will find little plastic bags with bright red dried plums. Along with the brandied fruits, this specific aroma really comes through. Wonderful smooth nose with so many different aromas!
PALATE
The mouth is a completely different experience. The whisky is quite oily and offers some saltiness as well as liquorice, laurel, hints of honey, peaches, more of the lemon drops and shortbread. The citrus is a bit sharper in the mouth and feels more exotic like kumquat. Besides that there are more layers of vanilla and again those Chinese dried plums.
FINISH
The finish is medium-long and revisits the green notes we encountered in the beginning: eucalyptus, freshly mown grass and also offers some orange peels. Then come the spices with some cinnamon, cedar wood and again with the vanilla shortbread! While the whisky slowly settles, it once again offers the richness of the brandied fruits.

CONCLUSION
Once again a textbook whisky, though there are some Speysiders that may display the same grassy notes in the nose at first, the combination of baker's yeast, freshly mown grass and the oily structure should have lead to Teaninich. These are the types of whisky we love, and certainly what professionals in the whisky world call a Bang for your Buck!