Master of Malt Tobermory Tasting Notes

Master of Malt ‘Darkness!’ Tobermory 16 year old 54.9%

Oloroso Sherry Cask/ Btl: 2015

Tasted: Mar 2016

The nose is dusty, mocha laced slightly phenolic peat, brine, manure, earth and crisp barley. Pleasantly fresh and deep with tarry treacle. With time it becomes pretty stinky (in a good way that is!)

The palate is very malty and manurey with dark treacle, vanilla and wood spice. A touch of honey and sweet barley lighten the middle and the dusty peat and salt appears. The alcohol helps emphasise the coastal intensity. Long, salty and mouth-watering with lovely, lingering dry and sweet peat, manure and violets. The oak bitters a little at the death. In conclusion: Now this has a lovely character, as long as you like a good chunk of manure with your malt. Funnily enough I do!

Lady of the Glen Tobermory Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen ‘Limited Edition’ Tobermory 1995 (20 year old) 56.6%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Jul 1995 Btl: Sept 2015

Tasted: Feb 2016

A pungent and phenolic, but not hugely peated nose. Very coastal and citric with almost gristy barley notes, combined with malt biscuits, dunnage, astringent herbs and a touch of gooseberry.

The palate is full and barley’d with gentle honey and crisp citrus. Darkens towards the middle as the malt appears along with some dry, woody peat and drier oak notes, although the sweetness balances. Superb length. Dry and salty with lingering barley and citrus. In conclusion: Beautifully poised and balanced. You have to love its youthful intensity.

Duncan Taylor Tobermory Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Battlehill Tobermory 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2019

Tasted: Apr 2020

The nose is clean and meaty (Bovril) with malt and subtle creamy vanilla. Straightforward with the oak becoming rather dominant. I would guess this is a combination of first fill Bourbon and possibly Virgin oak casks. Late hints of barley and white rose.

The palate is extremely oaky with a hint of barley and malt, but like the distillery bottled 12 year old it all oak. Creamy vanilla and grippy tannins follow. Short, oaky and spicy with lingering cinnamon and vanilla. It’s definitely modern ‘mory.

Lombard Teaninich Tasting Notes

Lombard Single Malt Teaninich 1984 (12 year old) 40%

Casks 4899-4902/ 4908-4910

Dist: Jun 1984 Btl: 1996/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Succulent aromas of barley, honey and plenty of apricot, pineapple and melon. Wonderfully aromatic and fruity with a touch of vanilla oak and some freshening citrus and herbal notes.

The palate display more milky/ vanilla oak which has the gentle tropical fruit and honey in a vice-like grip. A hint of citrus and minerality tries to balance. Short and austere with a late juiciness. In conclusion: Another whisky where the palate fails to deliver to what the nose promises!

Lady of the Glen Teaninich Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen ‘Uk Festivals & Private Tastings Release’ Teaninich 2012 (9 year old) 56.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Ex-Tawny Port Barrique Finish

Cask No. 709387/ Dist: May 2012 Btl: Aug 2021/ Tasted: Jan 2022

The nose displays warm, toasty tawny dried fruits and subtle industrial barley. Hints of milk chocolate, earth, chunky Bourbon oak, rye-like spice and wheat flakes.

The palate is juicy but tannic with tawny fruit and softer, syrup coated fruit. Hints of barley, Bourbon oak, rye-like spice and earth. Good length, the slightly industrial barley comes though. Lingering port notes.

Water lessens the port influence and brings forward the industrial barley. Quite fragrant and slightly herbal. The palate is very much like the nose – More industrial, but also rather chocolaty. Hints of cigar leaf. Longer but more tannic. Very drying, chocolate powder finish.

Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Teaninich 2010 (12 year old) 57.3%

Cask 721589 Aquavit barrel Finish

Dist: 2010 Btl: 2023/ Tasted: Mar 2023

Aromas of roasted nuts and distinct herbal aquavit notes. Bruised cherry, aniseed, malt and sour grape appears. Very unusual and intriguing.

The palate is rich, malty and herbal wih subtler aquavit notes. Oily and viscous with hints of earth and grilled nuts, dried grape and herbal honey. Masked, intense, aquavit finish with lingering sinus clearing fennel.

With water the nose is slightly sweeter and grapier. Showing less aquavit and more barley and honey. The palate is still oily but leaner. Like the nose more barley and less cask. Long, herbal, grapey, foresty finish.

James Eadie Teaninich Tasting Notes

James Eadie Small Batch Teaninich 9 year old 46%

2 refill bourbon hogsheads and 1 first bourbon hogshead- Cask No-718018, 718019 & 721587

Dist: 2010 Btl Sept 2020/ Tasted: Sept 2020

The nose is a little hot and raw with slightly hard barley, apricot, grass, lemon, sherbet and rose petal. It’s an odd, rather disjointed nose to be honest.

The palate is denser and displays more barley and oak but there are also some faintly industrial/ cardboardy notes as well. I’m not convinced this is 100% clean and the finish is a bit bitter and spirity with hints of white liquorice, rose petal and industrial spirit.

James Eadie Small Batch Teaninich ‘The Castle’ 9 year old 46%

3 x First Fill & Refill Bourbon Hogsheads

Tasted: Oct 2022

The nose is crisp and fresh with subtle white fruit, gooseberry and vanilla. Although its not over oaked the spirit isn’t really contributing very much. Late gritty tannin which is balanced by the sweet vanilla.

A soft toffee start to the palate, followed by subtle white fruit and citrus. However, the toffee is dominating on the middle and makes it somewhat simplistic. Good citric finish with returning sweet spice an oak.

James Eadie Cask Finish Teaninich 2008 (12 year old) Oloroso Finish 51.5%

11 years and 5 months in Refill Bourbon Hogshead- Finished 7 months in 1^st Fill Oloroso Hogshead- Cask No- 354556

Dist: Mar 2008 2009 Btl Sept 2020/ Tasted: Sept 2020

A rich, treacly almost Pedro Ximinez-like grapey sherry nose. Hints of malt biscuits, green nuts and absolutely no spirit character.

The palate is rich and grapey with herbal Oloroso, liquorice, cinnamon and ginger. masked but citric finish.

Water makes the nose a little soapy and confected with more tannic spice. The palate is a little insubstantial, but still all cask.

James Eadie Single Cask Teaninich 2011 (12 year old) Malaga Finish 54.2%

Cask 361936/17 Months finishing in first fill European oak Malaga Butt

Dist: 2011 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Oct 2022

The nose opens with dense but fragrant honey and grapey dried fruit. No distillery character is present. Late green nuts and apricot conserve.

The palate is full, dense and lightly honeyed and biscuity. Again, the flavours all come from the finishing cask. Develops grapey dried fruit and hints of spice. Long, slightly savoury and herbal finish with returning grapey fruit.

Water makes the nose a little lighter and possibly brings out a touch of lime. The palate is sweeter with the dried fruit taking on a sugar coating. Hints waxy toffee and coffee. Lingering green nuts.

Edition Spirits Teaninich Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Teaninich 1999 (18 year old) 57.2%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0342/ HL14771

Dist: Jul 2009 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

The nose is quite tight but honeyed and barley’d. Hints of tangerine, lychee, pear and spicy oak follow along with an American wheat whisky-esque note.

The palate opens with the honey and mature baked fruit. Lovely depth with tangerine, barley and subtle but spicy oak coming through on the middle. A little masked on the finish but finish with oily, sweet fruit and subtle malt notes.

Water unwinds the nose, but it’s still quite barley’d and oaky, but beautifully balanced. The palate is very juicy and mouth-watering with orange, lime, grapefruit and oak. Longer now with a slight peppery spice kick.

Claxton’s Teaninich Tasting Notes

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Teaninich 1999 (19 year old) 53%

Bourbon Hogshead 1849-307946

Dist: Jul 1999 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

Slightly perfumed with sugar coated lime, straw, fragrant malt, peach and apricot. In fact it’s very peachy with developing kiwi. There’s very little oak input, so the fragrant spirit notes shine through.

The palate opens with straw-like barley and a touch of both dusty and buttery oak. The mature oak notes build but the crisp lime and lemon notes offset. Subtle apricot and peach on the middle with minerals and citrus. Really fresh and mouth-watering finish with lingering kiwi, gooseberry. Lovely progression and vitality.

Global Whisky Ltd Teaninich Tasting Notes

Auld Goonsy’s Teaninich 2010 (11 year old) 58.6%

American oak hogshead 706527

Dist: Apr 2010 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Mar 2022

Aromas of fresh but edgy barley, onion skin, white fruit and apple. It becomes quite aromatic and shows some sweeter barley and subtle honeyed notes. With time some slightly savoury/ meaty notes appear.

The palate is full, soft and barley’d with some slightly edgy spice and herbal notes. Honey and white fruit add balances and the oak bitters a little on the middle, but it’s offset by some creamy notes. masked, herbal, barley finish.

Diluted it’s a little simpler but sweeter and now shows some lovely barley and citrus character. The palate is more honeyed, again a little simpler but mouth-filling and less bitter. Long, creamy oak and barley finish with a subtle green fruit after-taste.

Auld Goonsy’s Teaninich 2008 (13 year old) 57.5%

Sherry Butt 709849

Dist: Jun 2008 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

An aromatic and grapey nose with light, sultanary dried fruit and a touch of oxidised apricot, honeysuckle, gooseberry, barley and clean rose petal. The sherry is extremely subtle and has an almost Fino-like Grapiness. With time pepper and marzipan.

The palate is quite dry with gristy/ flour notes. Again subtle oxidised dried grape, green fruit and clean rose petal. Like the nose the sherry influence is subtle and again reminds me of a Fino sherry butt. Hints of spice, vanilla and citrus come through. Intense, masked, rose petal finish.

Water makes the nose floral and barley’d. Still youthful and slightly grapey but a touch sweeter. The palate is also a touch sweeter and oilier with less citrus and fleshier fruit. Less rose petal and a long, gristy barley finish with subtle honeyed notes.

Teaninich Distillery Tasting Notes

Flora & Fauna Teaninich 10 year old 43%

Bourbon

Tasted: Jul 2020

A slightly oily and barley’d nose with apricot, apple and grass. With time hints of honey, heather and lime appear.

The palate displays a greater oily character and feels a little fuller. It’s more barley accented with hints of honey, grass, minerals and lime. Good length with lingering citrus, heather and botanical herbal notes. In conclusion: It’s pleasant and unpretentious.