Teaninich 15 Years Old 2008 Cask #710889 (BB&R)

Bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd, this Teaninich, a 15 year old release from 2008, drawn from cask 710889 and bottled at 54.9%. The outturn was 288 bottles. Teaninich was built in 1817 in Easter Ross, north of Inverness; it uses a mash filter found nowhere else in Scotch. There are no warehouses on site; the spirit is matured in Diageo's central stores.

The spirit was made from a mash filter wort for a clean, grassy spirit, for a clean, oily make of real freshness. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the grass lead. Past a decade the grass deepens, the wax and a soft honey building over green fruit. Long, gentle ageing turns the cut grass towards honey and soft fruit. A long fermentation builds the fresh, green fruit the blenders prize. A 2013 expansion added a new six still house, more than doubling capacity. Most casks are refill ex-Bourbon, which lets the grassy spirit show through.

At a full 54.9% it is intense yet fresh. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel, with citrus, cut grass and a waxy lift. The texture is light and oily, the grass threaded with honey. A clean, gently waxy finish lingers. This is the green, waxy malt of Alness.