Whisky Punks x North Star - Teaninich 7yo - 58.7%
Bottler: North Star Spirits in collaboration with Whisky Punks
To support: Accord Hospice (donations optional but most welcome)
Distillery: Teaninich
Region: Highlands, Scotland
Age: 7 years
Distilled: Feb 2018
Bottled: Feb 2025
Cask Type: Sherry cask
Alcohol by Volume: 58.7%
Outturn: 90 bottles
Bottled: Natural colour and without chill filtration
An intro from James Angus, Whisky Punks
OK so we've done this again.
This time round we have the cask naming rights so no long afternoon conversations with the SWA legal team in the offing.
It's TEANINICH.
Yes the distillery that looks a bit like the Schweppes industrial unit just outside Rugby and has all the whisky romance of a quick shag in an unused conference room. It is however a shiny example of near bullet proof consistency of the production of whisky and a favourite of indie bottlers. I cannot think of how many different bottles of Teaninich I've had over time but none of them were rubbish.
So when the besties at North Star said they had some spare I perked up and started thinking WP2 and got to taste a rather punchy 6yo sherry cask.
The same levels of stringent quality testing amongst several drinkers with no professional qualifications or credentials were implemented and it was decided that it was decent.
Mike Woodward-Gregg declared this as a thinking drinkers dram so not only are we using this as the tag line but we are also throwing Mike straight under the bus/HGV/car and blaming him if no one likes it.
Tasting notes
Appearance: Amber gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as thick, oily legs
Nose: There’s a noticeable green tea note, together with cut grass left for a while on a lawn mower blade, custard Danish pastries, lemon citrus, orange peel and a touch of ginger.
Palate: Mouthcoatingly oily with a touch of youthful alcohol prickle. Dried fruit, hazelnuts, vanilla fudge, mild acidity, ginger nut biscuits and a prickle of chilli. A few drops of water drop the chilli heat and acidity, bringing out notes of chocolate pralines and adding a little astringent oaky nuttiness.
Finish: Nutty oak spice, tobacco leaf, coffee bean and a touch of Old Jamaican Ginger Beer heat.
Overall: OK, I have to hold my hands up on this one and admit I was one of the aforementioned “drinkers with no professional qualifications or credentials …who decided that it was decent”.
Moderate sherry (Oloroso?) influence, well balanced with enough character to make it interesting, and a lovely full bodied oiliness. The prickle of alcohol is indicative of a decent abv and the relative youthfulness to the spirit. A few drops of water make a difference, to the point you get the feeling this is one of those drams you can play around with quite a bit to find your sweet spot. A very enjoyable dram, more of a sipper than one you bring out on special occasions. I’ll look forward to seeing how his develops now the bottle has been opened.
It’s a very different style of whisky to the first, and truly outstanding, Whisky Punks bottling, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s more youthful, spiky and ‘in your face’, much in keeping with the punk theme. As for cost, when I first sampled it I was asked if I would buy a bottle, to which my response was that it would depend on the price. At just a touch under £50, I couldn’t resist.
Available from Top Whiskies, via the link below.
