Nestled on the Black Isle peninsula in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, Teaninich Distillery was founded in 1817 by Napoleonic war hero Captain Hugh Munro. Built on the grounds of Teaninich Castle, the distillery is situated beside the River Averon and not far from the Cromarty Firth, one of the few places in the United Kingdom that’s home to bottlenose dolphins.
Like most distilleries it’s gone through several ownership changes over the years. Currently, the distillery is part of the Diageo portfolio and its distillate is most often used as a blending malt in the Johnnie Walker bottlings. It’s not too often we see a Teaninich offered as single malt, let alone a single cask offering.
What distinguishes Teaninich from the plethora of other distilleries throughout Scotland is the absence of a mash tun. In its place is a unique hammer mill and mash filter, one of only two found in Scotland, the other being located at a newer distillery yet to release a single malt whisky. The hammer mill and mash filter produce a super clear wort, with an oily character that adds a fragrant grassiness to the nose and mouthful of green tea to the palate.