Teaninich 13 Years Old 2008 Cask #705802 (Pendulum Spirits Ltd)

Single malt Teaninich, from the independent bottler Pendulum Spirits Ltd, a 13 year old Highland malt from 2008, drawn from cask 705802 and bottled at 52.2%. The outturn was 269 bottles. Teaninich was built in 1817 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. 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 light, oily make takes cask character well across maturation. 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.

Undiluted at 52.2%, it is layered. Grass, pear and a gentle wax meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. A green tea and a lemon note lift it. A grassy, gently spiced finish lingers. This is Teaninich's clean, grassy Highland style.