Teaninich 9 Years Old 2012 Benchmark Limited Release (Murray McDavid)

Bottled by Murray McDavid, this Teaninich, aged 9 year old from 2012 and bottled at 46%. Just 1546 bottles were filled. 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. In 1887 it became the first distillery north of Inverness with electricity and a telephone.

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. Younger here, it keeps a clean, grassy freshness over a waxy texture. The ultra clear wort from the mash filter is the source of the green, grassy character. A 2013 expansion added a new six still house, more than doubling capacity. Most casks are refill ex-Bourbon, which lets the grassy spirit show through. Captain Hugh Munro built the distillery to give his tenants' barley a buyer.

At 46% it is clean and fresh. The Madeira lends raisin and a caramelised nuttiness, and a grassy, waxy freshness sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. It is fresh and oily, the fruit and oak well matched. A long, oily finish carries a green lift. This is the green tea malt of Easter Ross.