Thanks to /u/scotchandponder for sharing the dram (haven’t touched the rest yet).
A lifetime ago, when the Scotch subreddit was smaller, before the internet went truly disturbing (and was only working on being toxic), someone noticed that very few people were reviewing distilleries that started with the letter ‘T’.
Which I’m pretty sure was a joke. No one really, really needed more reviews from the distilleries that started with T. However because it was so silly and dumb, I’ve remembered it, even these years later.
So I’m reviewing Teaninich 20 1999 Archives because of that joke. In the years between that joke and now (ugh, I shouldn’t be sober remembering those years), I still think of it and smile. My own version of “reject modernity, embrace monke”, if you will.
Teaninich is a workhorse, blend distillery. There’s a reason you don’t run into them. They go into blends. But every so often one pops up, and you have to ask: How does it taste?
So how does it taste? Let’s see, shall we?
Price: $193
Region: Highland
Vintage: July 5, 1999
Bottled: December 2019
Cask type: Hogshead
Cask number 307938
No. of bottles 248
Abv: 55.7%
Colour: 7.5Y 9/4
Nose: Straw, dried leaves, lemon, caramel
Very vegetal. And light, even given the high strength. Also after water, though that brings out the caramel and lemon. Think of the smell you get when cleaning up leaves, but a burn ban is on, or when you find straw that’s not being used for straw at a barn, because there’s no barnyard.
So pretty good if you don’t have a sweet tooth. Needs extra time, that’s for certain.
Taste: Caramel, pear, sesame, nutmeg
Sweet, some seed notes, and spice. Pretty simple, and I’m happy that it went sweeter than vegetal for the taste, as I’m less of a fan, though it’s very simple.
Finish: Oak, lemon, cloves, salt
Still simple, there’s an odd salt note, and the whole thing doesn’t really come together. I’m getting ahead of myself: I don’t hate this finish, but maybe it’s my 20th century diet, or maybe it’s just not my thing, but this finish ain’t doing it for me.
Conclusion: If you’re looking for a not sweet, very vegetal and leafy/acidic dram, then this is for you. I’m a sweet fiend, so I’m not. And maybe that’s on me.
But it also really reminds me of a worse version of Glencadam 21 OB that I recently had, which was weaker, roughly the same age, and even from the same region. This didn’t take the extra time as well. It wasn’t as thick or anything. Granted it’s cheaper, so maybe that’s the case.
So I’d skip, and find another distillery that starts with T. Because why not?
73/100
Scotch review #1557, Highland review #263, Whisky Network review #2278
tomoderawhisky.ca 