Review #264 - SMWS 59.69 'Exotic Tantalisation' - Teaninich 13 Year
From the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's 'Spicy & Dry' flavor profile, we have a 13 year old example from the distillery Teaninich. This northern highland distillery is rarely seen in OB form, and isn't the most common from independent bottlers, either - we've only had the chance to try a couple of examples. We became interested in this bottle after reading a Dramface article about it, which described it as a good value proposition despite a price in excess of $130.
This single cask was aged in an ex-bourbon hogshead, possibly of the refill variety, before it was moved into a finishing cask: a second fill ex-red wine barrique. The brand doesn't specify, but barriques are often used in aging French wines, so it's possible that this was a cask made of French oak, which could impart some spicier flavors into the whisky.
Quality presentation is always a theme with the SMWS - there's no added color, no chill filtration, and we get a cask strength of 54.5% ABV.
SMWS 59.69 'Exotic Tantalisation' - Teaninich 13 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 140 (2023)
Age Statement: 13 Years
Strength: 54.5% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in 2nd fill ex-red wine barrique
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled February 16, 2008; 268 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 8 months; bottles at 100% (blind tasting), 80% (blind tasting), 70%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Oily and rich, with a wide array of flavors: fruity with peach schnapps, cantaloupe, melon, dark berries, and wine gums; charred oak and tannins, decently oaky, with vanilla and hay as well. Sweet baking notes of brown sugar and caramel, honey and butterscotch; occasional flavors of mineral water, peppercorns, and sugary pie crust. All over the place, and with more time, it becomes perfumed.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel, packed with flavor, but possibly a little bit disjointed. Lots of fruit, like the nose: cherry, lime, green melon, pomegranate, star fruit, and nectarines; other flavors of bubblegum, hot peppers, cinnamon, sherbet fizz, oily oak, and butterscotch were all present in individual tastings. It changed over time with air in individual tastings, but it was also different each time we tried it.
Finish: Medium-long, warm, and intense. Bubblegum, lemon-lime soda, watermelon, and sweet tropical fruits early in the finish; berry fruit, caramel, vanilla cream, astringent oak, and wine gums later on. An aftertaste of orange seeds and white flower petals.
Final Note: Changing all the time - none of our tastings had quite the same flavor notes. Hard to pin down consistent qualities, but each time, it was invariably interesting. A bit disjointed overall then, but we enjoyed each individual tasting - it's just hard to characterize this malt with this specific finishing cask.
This was a pricey bottle - value isn't a particularly high, although due to the range of flavors, each tasting was interesting and enjoyable, so it isn't a terrible value if you want to dig in.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.97
Check out our other Teaninich reviews:
Review #202 - Alexander Murray Teaninich 13 Year Single Cask
