Teaninich 13 Years Old 2009 Cask #SC15A (The Firkin Whisky Co. Ltd.)

Single malt Teaninich, released by The Firkin Whisky Co. Ltd, aged 13 year old from 2009, drawn from cask SC15A and bottled at 57.3%. Teaninich was first built in 1817 in Easter Ross, north of Inverness; it is one of Diageo's largest distilleries. 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. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the green make. 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. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.3%, it is rich. The Pedro Ximenez lends raisin, date and treacle, and vanilla and a light cream from the barrel, with citrus, cut grass and a waxy lift. Soft orchard fruit and grass sit behind the sweetness. Cut grass and citrus draw out the close. This is the green, waxy malt of Alness.