Teaninich 17yo Special Release
2017 Release | 55.9% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Very interesting, when it’s half price
The Double-edged Sword Of The Whisky Auction House
Everyone leads with integrity, but everything is a question of price.
I’m just gonna come out and say it; some of the bottles I have on hand are heading to auction. They will not be opened and shared. As much as opening them seems like the ‘right’ thing to do, from a whisky perspective, things outside of my control have changed it into an irresponsible thing to do, from a rational perspective.
These are slightly dusty bottles which I know to be very delicious. I would very much like to pop and drink them. I paid only retail and therefore should hold them in my hand and judge them at the price I paid, rather than what some nutcase with sackfulls of disposable might pay for them. But, of course, that would be me being the proverbial ostrich - head in sand. I am a dad, a husband and someone laden with responsibilities that barely indulge this whisky life. I need to be fiscally responsible. I don’t, yet, earn a lot and I am a curious little ostrich when it comes to whisky - I wanna try more. If I opened these I’d be drinking something I already know. I also worry the thought of what they’re worth to someone else would make them take on a bitter taint.
So, if it seems like the words that follow are of me criticising auctions, know that I intend to utilise their services fully. I won’t get into a debate of definitions here about flipping, professional buying and the ugly side of what’s moved into whisky during the pandemic, many words have been spilled already - not least here on Dramface. I will talk about the role the auction houses play though. You see, I love them and I hate them.
First the love. They facilitate amazing things. The ability to secure bottles you never thought you’d see again or those you’d love to try. They unite the seller with a field of potential buyers in the way only the internet can do. They allow you to complete collections, plug gaps, replace loved bottles, explore legends and unicorns, browse the depths of whisky you never knew existed - and they let you taste history. These are the finer roles of the auction house.
Yet they also lubricate the ugly. Swathes of elevated prices on the latest must-have release, vans parked adjacent to festival bottle queues and active schemes to encourage sellers to keep bottles sealed and hoarded, or burst open their cabinets and get their greed on. It’s a dark shadow across what is a largely vibrant and positive scene. Yet, who can blame them?
As long as there’s money involved, they’re just being that fiscally-aware dad, the rational and astute business owner making hay while the sun shines through these amber clinks and chinks of appreciating liquid assets. If they took a stance on this and made a united decision - one borne out of a desire for integrity, let’s say - to step back from handling recently released bottles and attempting to stifle the flippers, not only would that be foolhardy towards what they actually do as a business (attempt to make money!), it would simply drive all the craziness into dodgy back-alley deals and shady underground trading spots with zero checks and measures. Everything is a question of desire and price.
We mention trading outside of public channels; a little word of caution before you go trading bottles privately or on eBay, Facebook or Whiskybase; How expert are you at spotting fakes? A discussion during a recent whisky fair was eye-opening to me, it’s not only rare Macallans and Samarolis that are being faked these days. Personally, I haven’t seen or heard of a faked Local Barley, but if you can take any old Springbank bottle with fairly simple printed labels and capsules and punt them for £600, don’t you think that would attract the crooks? It must be brutally difficult for auctions to spot this stuff. They all have procedures in place, but the sheer volume and frenzy makes it fertile ground for the bastards that make flippers look like charity volunteers. I should be clear here; Whiskybase and all of these outlets, sites and platforms have real value to everyone, but we all need to be aware of the potential for abuse.
So, let’s get back to using this service in a positive way. Let’s pretend you’ve forgiven me for taking my box of unintended appreciating assets off to the big bad auction house and that it’s now whisky under the bridge. Let’s look at how they can operate to the drinkers advantage, not only occasionally. Because, in every single public auction that exists, you can uncover gold.
When everyone’s talking up a bottle that rarely appears on auction, there will be a spike in price. Yet this encourages more to be sold and eventually, if you wait, prices are attenuated. Sometimes, they can swing all the way back to retail, and even below. At that point - you’re in! An example is the bottle in my hand today.
As part of the 2017 Diageo Special Releases, this Teaninich was released at 17 years old and apparently (although not widely spoken about) from distillate made before they installed their mash filter. So, the ‘old’ style Teaninich. This is interesting, as you could grab a similar bottling of a post-2000 distilled indie and have a little non-scientific fun comparing. As soon as this bottle was announced I was very keen. This was the oddity that drew my attention from what was, in fairness, a pretty impressive release line up. With a huge problem.
We need to digress for a moment here.
Diageo are famously hilarious when setting their prices. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. Launch of a new range of Mortlachs anyone? But 50cl bottles and double the expected price? Done. A brand new 8yo Lagavulin released alongside its 16yo sibling yet a higher price? Done. A 10 or 12 year old 43% core release at over £50? Done (x8 - all Flora & Fauna). When it comes to fixing the prices for their Special Releases, it’s laughably random. Couple this with communications opacity and it’s unintelligible.
I’ll make a confession though; I love their whisky. I believe that the distilleries under their stewardship are amongst the best out there and I also believe the Special Releases can often knock you out with elegance and balance. Which it’s why it’s such a damp squib every year when the releases drop. It’s the annual announcement of things-you’d-love-but-can’t-justify-buying. There are occasional exceptions, such as the 2020 Cragganmore which was a 20yo at £120, which I enjoyed immensely. Generally though, it’s just a prompt for me to enter that hilarious John C. Reilly confused-as-hell meme (go on - chuck it in the comments for Wally).
Unfortunately, of course, our 200th anniversary Teaninich was one of those releases. When I heard I knew it would be priced high, I guessed it would break the £100 barrier. I was willing to pay that and a little more though, such is my love for that curious factory of gems in Alness. Then they announced it at £275 and my head fell off.
“As early as 1899, the distillery was modernized and extended, followed by further refurbishments in the 1960s and 1970s. By 1972, the complex included ten stills in two stillhouses. Unfortunately, both of them were shut down in 1985, and only the large stillhouse —known as “A side” —resumed production five years later. ”
To send home my point; you can still buy this - from retail. It’s often discounted in flash sales too. This is five full years after its “very limited” release. Just bonkers. So, in an attempt to full-circle this disjointed purée of vaguely English verbiage, if you head to our celebrated auction houses you can do even better than the flash sales. I finally grabbed mine at Scotch Whisky Auctions for £130. Other auctions are available. But that’s better than half price.
So know this; for everyone who is a little upset about Dramface including price and value in their assessment of bottles, please consider today’s example. My tasting notes are ambivalent to the price, but the score is not. I am very much scoring this today as a £130 bottle - do not pay the £250+ it’ll cost at retail today, unless you’re of the ilk currently fuelling whisky’s feeding frenzy; preferring gold leaf over toilet paper.
Review
2017 Special Release, 55.9% ABV
£275 if you fancy a laugh
This, on paper, is my top 2-3% of whisky; a favoured distillery, from ex-bourbon barrels and hoggies and left the hell alone for the right amount of years and bottled as naturally as possible. Released for the distillery's 200th anniversary, let’s see what we got for our £130...
Nose
Green whisky! This brings a curious blast of outdoor freshness, like spring meadows. It’s bright and clean, but there’s a lovely seductive lick of cool dunnage here too. It’s like a fresh breeze blowing through a bothy. There are sweet citrus notes mixing with this floral and grassy bouquet conjuring images of crisp, fresh linen. There is some acidity too, like white grapes alongside a sweetness that’s reminiscent of golden syrup.
Palate
Sweeter on arrival than expected. Syrupy. A lovely limoncello effervescence and a little waxiness. I like it. There’s a flickering dryness too, and a little something dusty and herbal that amplifies that ‘green’ element - like dried tarragon. The acidity from the nose makes an appearance too but it’s nice, like sharp green olives. It’s an overall dry whisky and this is felt on the finish, although a few drops of water helps stretch things and encourages the floral side to pop. Overall, the experience is subtle, not bold. Like when whispering is more attention-grabbing than speaking.
The Dregs
You know what I’m going to say. This bit could write itself. This is about the price you’ll pay. This is a satisfying and decent whisky to sit and ponder, one you’d be pleased to have and not much like many others you may have kicking around. You’d be happy - as long as you paid a keen price for it. Its retail price suggests that it’s something really special and unfortunately, it’s not. It’s just good. Maybe very good. But not £275 good. I’d have another bottle at £130, if that helps. Although personally, as you can tell, I’m a fan of the style. I may meet you in the bidding room while we both play a game of fiscal irresponsibility. The house always wins.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. WM
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