Teaninich 12 Years Old 2009 (SMWS 59.68)

This is a Teaninich single malt, an independent Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling, a 12 year old from 2009, drawn from cask 59.68 and bottled at 57%. A release of 181 bottles. Teaninich, built in 1817 near the Cromarty Firth at Alness, is a key malt of Johnnie Walker. It is the only Scotch malt distillery to mash through a mash filter rather than a mash tun.

Distilled on Highland spring water through fat copper stills, building the light Highland style blenders prize. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the green fruit. Around the mid teens the malt gains a fuller, oilier body over the grass. The ultra clear wort from the mash filter is the source of the green, grassy character. Teaninich Castle nearby, once the family seat, is now a hotel and restaurant. Robert Innes Cameron, an Elgin blender, became sole owner in 1904. The Munro family ran the distillery through two generations before selling.

At cask strength 57% it is muscular yet green. A grassy, waxy freshness sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. The texture is light and oily, the grass threaded with honey. Green tea and a soft wax see out the finish. This is the green tea malt of Easter Ross.