Teaninich 8 Years Old 2013 Cask #DL 15436 (Provenance)

Single malt Teaninich, chosen and bottled by Douglas Laing, an 8 year old Highland malt from 2013, drawn from cask DL 15436 and bottled at 46%. The outturn was 862 bottles. Teaninich was founded in 1817 by a Napoleonic veteran in the northern Highlands at Alness, and it is rarely seen as a single malt in its own right. It is the only Scotch malt distillery to mash through a mash filter rather than a mash tun.

The spirit was run from a clear wort through the distillery's tall stills, to build a clean, waxy, grassy character. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the grassy spirit. At this age the spirit is fresh and green, cut grass and citrus to the fore. The ultra clear wort from the mash filter is the source of the green, grassy character. Captain Hugh Munro built the distillery to give his tenants' barley a buyer. Almost all of its make is destined for blends rather than single malt.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. Green tea, lemon and a soft spice sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. A green fruit and a gentle oak give it depth. The finish runs fresh, green and oily. This is a Johnnie Walker workhorse from the Highlands.