Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 47.5%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Sherry STR
Chillfiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: Morrison Distillers
Average price: € 70.00
Official website: www.carnmorwhisky.co.uk
Vote: 85/100
As the first releases for 2022 from independent bottler Càrn Mòr aka Morrison Distillers have reached the market (the Morrisons have been one of the most influential families in the Scotch scene for three generations, long-time owners of Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch, later sold to Japan’s Suntory), we go back a year to taste one of the most original releases of 2021: a Teaninich aged for 11 years in ex-Sherry STR casks. where STR stands for Shaved, Toasted and Recharred. This is an operation that aims to give new life to the cask, with the cleaning of the layer in contact with the whisky and the subsequent toasting and recharring of the wood.
Teaninich is one of several non-premium distilleries in the Diageo group. The only official bottling is a 10yo from the historic Flora & Fauna series, which is not exactly easy to find, so if you want to taste their whisky, you have to rely on the independents.
We, who are curious by nature, willingly entrusted ourselves, as always, and proceeded to taste it, not before remembering that this release, like all those of the “Strictly Limited” series to which it belongs, is proposed at 47.5% ABV in its natural colour and without chillfiltration.
Tasting notes
A suggestive and inviting bright amber colour shines in the glass.
On the nose, we are greeted by an intense spiciness of white pepper, accompanied by a hint of berries, currants and blueberries in particular, but above all by a memory of panettone with lots of sultanas. After a few moments, there is a distinct hint of apple vinegar, while a balsamic effluvium, which in our opinion can be traced back to pine resin, gives the whole a captivating freshness. At a distance, a rather strong impression of wood triumphs, as if we had entered a sawmill in full activity.
The palate is enlivened by white pepper, but for the rest of the tasting it is the wood that dominates, with impromptu incursions of orange zest, sultanas and caramel to avoid banality and keep the level of attention high.
In the mid-persistence finish, in addition to the wood of course, pepper and a pleasant note of nuts, walnuts in particular, leave their mark.
A rather varied nose is followed by a more monotonous palate, which makes the dram slightly less unpredictable. It remains a whisky of certain interest and enjoyment, offering the opportunity to reason about the influence of such peculiar casks.