Teaninich 17 Years Old 2007 Cask #4 (Signatory)

A Teaninich single malt, selected and bottled by Signatory Vintage, a 17 year old Highland malt from 2007, drawn from cask 4 and bottled at 55.5%. The outturn was 351 bottles. Teaninich was opened in 1817 on the Teaninich estate in Easter Ross, north of Inverness; it is a key malt of Johnnie Walker. It stands near Dalmore and Glenmorangie in the Cromarty Firth country.

The spirit was made from a mash filter wort for a clean, grassy spirit, for a clean, oily make of real freshness. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the green character to the fore. Around the mid teens the malt gains a fuller, oilier body over the grass. Fat stills give a waxy texture that carries the cask flavour. That ultra clear wort is the source of Teaninich's fragrant, green tea grassiness. Teaninich Castle nearby, once the family seat, is now a hotel and restaurant. Robert Innes Cameron, an Elgin blender, became sole owner in 1904.

At its natural 55.5% it is concentrated. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel runs under a clean, green fruitiness. A green tea and a lemon note lift it. Cut grass and citrus draw out the close. This is a fresh, oily Highland single malt.