Yes, the cluster's final Teaninich survived 40 years in oak, specifically a "Sherry Hogshead", though I'm betting on at least one re-racking in its lifetime. It's neither some brittle 40.2%abv thing, nor a 62%abv wunderfreak, nor is it coffee-colored (despite the photo below), all of which bodes well for this single malt. This sample has been staring at me for eight weeks, so it's time to release it from its prison.
Distillery: Teaninich
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Northern-ish Highlands
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Series: Old & Rare
Age: 40 years old (December 1973 - October 2014)
Maturation: Sherry Hogshead
Outturn: 229 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.9%
(from a bottle split)
NOTES
Its nose's first note is a burst of sugar, but that recedes revealing nutty oloroso, orange peel, and cloves. Almonds and walnuts eventually take over the foreground, with apricots and earthy molasses in the middle, and yuzu in the background.
LOTS of sandalwood in the early palate, with some cherry juice and musty dusty dunnage playing second fiddle. After 30 minutes, an old rye whiskey spiciness sneaks in along with toffee, marzipan, and pipe tobacco. Apples, oranges, and limes arrive at the hour mark. Though there's plenty of wood present, the palate never gets bitter or drying.
The finish goes through a few shifts. First up, toffee and almonds. Later, oranges and zingy ginger powder. After an hour or so, tobacco smoke floats up.
WORDS WORDS WORDS
Kudos to the Hunter Laing crew for the cask management on this one. The oak registers gracefully, never, um, lumbering. Quite smitten by the palate and thinking this was a 90+ pointer, I tried it next to my Bunnahabhain '80, but the Teaninich just couldn't defeat it. However, this oldie is a comfy old critter, especially once the tobacco and smoke notes appear, and a fitting way to end the cluster. Now it's time for me to step back to see if I gleaned anything from consuming 16 Teaninichs...
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