Teaninich 14 Years Old 2010 Cask #708907/2010 (Cask Masters)

Bottled by Brave New Spirits, this Teaninich matured to 14 year old from 2010, drawn from cask 708907/2010 and bottled at 51.2%. 305 bottles in all. Teaninich was opened in 1817 on the Teaninich estate in the northern Highlands at Alness, and it sends almost all of its make to blends. Fat copper stills add an oily texture to the clean, grassy spirit.

The spirit was run from a clear wort through the distillery's tall stills, to build a clean, waxy, grassy character. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. Mid age brings a deeper honey and a riper green fruit. Refill oak lets the green, grassy distillery character lead. Filled spirit is tankered away to mature in Diageo's central warehouses. The name comes from the Gaelic for house on the hill, a nod to the old estate. By the 1970s Teaninich was already one of the largest distilleries in Scotland.

At a full 51.2% it is intense yet fresh. The Oloroso lends raisin, walnut and a dried fruit richness, and green tea, lemon and a soft spice sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. It is fresh and clean, the green spirit shining through. Cut grass and citrus draw out the close. This is a Johnnie Walker workhorse from the Highlands.