In 1994 there was some celebration that whisky had been in existence for 500 years. It was of course nothing like the stuff we know and love today, but back in that day Friar John Cor was ordered to make grain into whisky, and that is the first official reference to Uisge Beatha in the Exchequer Rolls:

“To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt.”

Anyway, James MacArthur was one of the few bottlers in existence back then, and he did his part in bottling quite a few limited editions of ‘random’ distilleries. I knew there is a Springbank, a Linkwood and this Teaninich. According to Whiskybase there also is a Blair Athol, Macduff, Ardmore, Glen Keith, Dufftown and Ledaig. The Springbank isn’t mentioned.

Sniff:
I get grist and barley first, quickly followed by vanilla, white oak and yellow fruits. It has lots of pineapple, pineapple syrup and ‘normal’ apples, without the pine. There is a slight herbal note of coriander too. Yellow wine gums and some pepper.

Sip:
This baby is sharp on the palate with alcohol and pepper. Fresh and sweet with fruit. Pineapple, sugar, wood, apple. Some green banana peel and it’s spicy. White pepper and pastry cream.

Swallow:
The finish is long and fresh, again with the yellow fruits. Gentle with a touch of white pepper. Wood, vanilla ice cream and pastry cream.

Although it had been open for quite a while, I barely detected any oxidation. Although I remember it as being sharper and more focussed on the barley, I kind of like it better now. The fruit does sometimes go a bit chemical, but not overly so. Great stuff, and a steal when I bought it for € 75. That’s been years, though.

Teaninich 1973-1994, 21 years old, James MacArthur’s 500 years of whisky. 57.2%