Thompson Bros Teaninich 12yo
Small Batch (2x Refill Barrels) | 53.1% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A lemon bomb!
Whisky Monday Pt 2
Yesterday I went on a tangent from the Dornoch trip to a Springbank cage bottle - and then another. As promised, we’re returning to Sutherland.
On the Monday immediately after the Glasgow Whisky Festival weekend, five of us embarked upon our drive to Dornoch. The first stop was the House of Bruar, not for whisky, but for a comfort break and a decent breakfast. I’ve visited many service stations while enjoying many road trips, but this place is in a league of its own. We were looking for a service station, but what we stumbled upon was something more akin to a boutique shopping mall experience; complete with restaurants, gifts, souvenir shops and even a whisky store. After satisfying our biological needs, we left it for the throng of tourists and piled back into the car to continue north.
As we drove, the signs for various distilleries seemed to pop up at every turn, a reminder of how densely populated Scotland is with whisky producers. The Dalwhinnie Distillery caught my eye, sitting off to the left of the A9, but we had a more pressing engagement, a 2pm tour at Tomatin.
As we rolled up to Tomatin, Murdo, in his usual style, made a crass joke calling the distillery “Tomato,” doing his best (and terrible) impression of a Scottish accent. Bruce turned to me, grinning, “You’ve been here for a week, and now you speak like a Scotsman!” It’s funny how quickly we start to pick up the accents and quirks of those around us.
The Tomatin tour itself was enjoyable but fairly standard. A unique feature was a decommissioned, cut-open mash tun, so we were allowed to snap a few photos standing inside. At the end of the tour, we were treated to three drams: Tomatin Legacy, Tomatin 12, and the Cu Bocan Signature. All fine whiskies, but nothing that left me wanting more. Instead of grabbing a bottle of whisky as a souvenir, I grabbed a kitchen magnet for Mrs. McAtaer, and we were back on the road.
The journey continued north, having broken up the long drive with our two stops, the four and a half hour drive felt quite comfortable. Just as the autumn sun started to set, we found ourselves approaching Dornoch Castle Hotel. I’d seen photos of the place, but standing before it in person was something else. It may not be the biggest castle I’ve ever seen, but to think that I was about to spend the night in a building that’s been around since the 1500s was an odd yet profound feeling, as if I could almost sense history in its walls.
After a delicious early dinner, with the skies dark and the night stretching out before us, we gravitated toward the bar. After the festival madness, I was pacing myself with whisky. I only had two drams that night: an 11-year-old Ben Nevis and a 10-year-old Glen Moray, both bottled by the owners; the Thompson Brothers themselves.
The others, however, dove into some impressive drams, including a bottle from Cask 1 of the Dornoch Distillery, some decently age-stated Campbeltown malts, and a lot more. Jamie the barman, with his uplifting character, easily seduced the two gentlemen into buying more special drams! At £5 a dram, though, the Glen Moray was the clear winner of the night, at least in terms of value; bright and fresh with a long finish. Glen Moray is now firmly on my radar for future purchases.
As we sat there, sipping whisky and chatting by the fire, I couldn’t help but marvel at the elegant randomness of it all. An Asian in his mid 30s, two Paisley natives, and two Americans in their 70s, all sat together next to a fireplace in a cosy castle in Dornoch, only whisky could bring people together like this, simply unbelievable.
When Bruce first pitched the trip, I’d been slightly anxious about the unknown company, but that night, all my anxieties melted away. Whisky, bloody hell.
It exemplified how whisky is more than just a drink. It’s a shared experience, a common language, it transcends age, politics, religion, and so much more. It brings people together, often in the most unexpected, unbelievable ways.
Later, as the night drew on, Bruce suggested we cap off the evening with a dram of Lindores. And just like that, we were off to bed, ready for the next day's adventures.
The second day started with a lovely surprise; a member of the Dornoch Castle Whisky Club, who knew Bruce, had emailed the hotel to offer us a sample of a rare whisky he’d left at the castle. I won’t disclose what the whisky was, but a quick search on google indicated that the current online retail price of the bottle was £750. Again, this level of generosity is one of the many things that makes our little whisky community so special.
After breakfast, we hit up the Dornoch Whisky Shop, which was packed with Thompson Brothers and Dornoch Distillery bottlings. Surprisingly, only Gary purchased a bottle, paralysis by choice, as they say. I wavered between an 18-year-old Glentauchers (£115) and a 16-year-old Fettercairn (£85), but in the end, I decided to hold my fire. Nothing screamed “must buy”, especially without being able to try before buying, so I tapped out. That was self-discipline right there, and I pat myself on the back for that, although we all agreed that if Jamie the barman had been there, we would have left the shop with a bottle or two each courtesy to his magical powers of persuasion.
Review
Teaninich 2009, 12yo, Thompson Bros Small batch refill barrels, 53.1% ABV
£80 and patchy availability
As we left the shop, I was thinking about that decision of holding my fire. I was sitting on a small hill of regret, especially considering that the Thompson Brothers had just won the best independent bottler in the last Online Scotch Whisky Awards, there is a stamp of quality associated with their bottles.
The feeling of regret is not too dissimilar to the feeling I had after leaving Deanston Lepanto Cask unpurchased the first time, with the main difference being that Thompson Brothers’ products are widely available globally, albeit not the same, specific bottles. I wasn’t going to know if the Glentauchers or Fettercairn at the shop will be as good as any other expressions available to me at home, so with that thought, my fear of missing out was eased.
Now that I’m home, I’ll substitute this instead. This is one of the bottles from the Thompson Brothers that I can actually get and have at home. Actually, when I was eyeing that Fettercairn at the shop, I was thinking about this expression of Teaninich at the back of my head, and imagining it as representing something of a fruity profile.
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A lemon bomb!
Nose
Freshly cut lemons, does anyone know the candy Super Lemon? It is full of that. The nose is a bit disappointing though, a bit one-dimensional, a dash of water brings out juniper, and by extension; gin - which is a first for me in whisky.
Palate
A very crisp arrival, fresh lemons again, very zesty and slightly bitter, and mouth-watering, pretty much like biting into an actual lemon. Along with the lemons are a mixture of other non-sweet citrus fruits with grapefruit coming to mind. The typical vanilla from the ex-bourbon cask is also present in the background and, while a ginger note also lingers, both are well covered by the lemon. I would also describe this whisky to be white wine like - in fact I put a dram in the freezer and the result is quite a reminiscence of white wine. The finish is medium at best, and again, lemons. Overall, a “lemon bomb”, which I enjoy, but not too complex.
The Dregs
Another Diageo distillery which we can only really access through independents, but this one is a wee bit more characterful than most. For this reason, I can understand why it’s valuable for blends. This is my second bottle of Teaninich, my first being an ex-bourbon matured Cadenhead’s 10-year-old, both lemon bombs. I quite enjoy this profile, similar to the house style of Linkwood, except I find Linkwoods a bit sweeter, more balanced, and more complex.
In my experience, it’s not common for ex-bourbon whiskies to have a prominent flavour hook, but the bitter and sour lemon from Teaninich is the hook for me, and if you’re into that kind of dry and slightly winey profile, this would be right up your alley. For me though, especially with the obvious comparison to Linkwood, I prefer the Speysider over this. Overall though, it's a solid whisky, good stuff.
Still waiting for the Dornoch Distillery? I promise, it’ll come soon.
Same time tomorrow?
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. MMc
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