Rebelling against SWA with Rye: Teaninich 8 years old
It is so weird to read the name Teaninich on a label, and then notice that it is a single grain Scotch whisky. That might well confuse consumers, but on the other hand, how well-known is Teaninich, even as a single malt? If you ask me, I think the distillery operates very under the radar, and is one of those hidden gems, as the single malt can be very singular and surprising. Did you know actually that Teaninich is the third biggest distillery in the Diageo portfolio, producing a little over 10 million litres per annum? And that it is a close neighbour to the Dalmore Distillery? There you have it.
Teaninich was erected well over 200 years ago, in 1817. I am sure we will one day do a deep dive into the history. We will focus on 1970, when Teaninich was one of the distilleries that got a duplicate next door, to operate as the A side. In 1984, the old distillery is out of commission and finally decommissioned in 1999. The A side is now just Teaninich, and in 2015 the site is expanded with six new stills, doubling the output. Nowadays, it is one of the workhorses for the numerous blends Diageo owns, the most famous being of course Johnnie Walker. The distillery is also known for utilizing a mash filter instead of a mash tun, making it something of an anomaly.
So, what is the deal with this “single grain” business? Well, you know that the Scotch Whisky Association gets nervous quickly when you do things a little out of the ordinary. The Teaninich we will taste today was simple distilled from rye. Whoever drinks whiskey from the other side of the pond, or even mainland Europe, is used to Rye Whisky, but the Scots have to be difficult. According to the definitions, this rye-based Teaninich simply has to be called grain whisky, as it is not made from malted barley. I wonder if the more casual consumer will see through that and grab this bottle off the shelves. Anyway, as a whisky nerd, I am delighted. Let us have a taste!
Teaninich 8 years old, Special Releases 2025, bottled at 60,3 % abv
First things first: Rye based whisky matured in bourbon casks and bottled at rocket fuel strength. This release in the yearly series was called “Rye Rebel”.
Upon Sipping: Had they gone full copycat on American style rye, they should have chosen virgin oak for this expression, shouldn’t they? As it stands, the aroma is rather modestly bready, with whiffs of vanilla. That is about all I get undiluted, and I am afraid to hurt my nose. The taste comes in steaming hot, with lots of breaded notes and dry … well, rye! With my eyes closed, I could well have guessed this is a new make spirit. That also means it carries a lot of raw fruity notes. But let us play with some water to see what we can discover.
Yes, more bread and now also dry popcorn. Very funny. Mixed with some yellow fruit and candy. I am guessing Teaninich does not operate a column still, so this grain whisky still came from a regular pot still. You notice that this batch distillation gave the whisky a lot more body than a normal grain whisky would have. The taste became a bit more dry, with the key ingredient very talkative still, and a rather harsh exit on the finish. Bitterish note from burned wood, almost having a sort of metallic vibe.
Word to the Wise: Certainly not an easy whisky, but incredibly fascinating. I hope Diageo did some more experiments with this distillate, for instance maturing it on virgin oak. They could make a little series out of it. The alcohol is too high, that is a big weak spot here. In the end, this is a well-balanced whisky, but it also shows why malted barley is the superior ingredient for distilling in batch a.k.a. with the pot still.
Score: 81 points.