Teaninich Flora & Fauna Review

“Blend It” (*)

Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands  

Brand: Teaninich Flora & Fauna

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 43%

Colour: Light Gold/Straw

Nose: Certainly more Flora than Fauna! I find Fruity and Floral tones like Apple, Orange, Pear, Straw, Grass and Floral Fragrances. It's all quite Light and Clean. Additionally I smell Buttered Toast, Malt, Dough, Rice Vinegar, Pineapple Juice, Herbs, Oak and light Varnish. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. From time to time the Nose reminded me of light Irish Whiskey. It's okay I guess but nothing to get excited about.

Palate: Dry, Sour-Sweet and Buttery with Barley, Toffee, light Vanilla, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Oak, Salted Butter, Orange - and Lemon Zest and light Honey.

Finish: Middle-Long, slightly Sour and Bitter Sweet with Orange, Fresh Herbs, Straw, Toffee, Pepper, Nut Shells, light Varnish or Acetone, Mint and a distant hint of Dark Chocolate. I wouldn't be surprised if a reasonable amount of Teaninich goes into the JW Red and Black Blends.

With a bit of Water I find more Malt, English Marmalade, Vanilla, Buttered Toast and light Honey on the Nose. Palate and Finish become quite Floral but also very Thin. Better sip this Teaninich neat. 

Rating: 80.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: The Teaninich distillery was founded in 1817 by Captain Hugh Monro just south of the village of Alness. In 1933 DCL bought the distillery and subsequent mergers and take-overs brought it under the wings of the Diageo Group. The Spirit is mainly used in the Johnnie Walker Blends. There are some exceptions. In 1992, the 10 Year Old I'm reviewing today was introduced as part of the Flora & Fauna Series. Flora & Fauna has been discontinued in the meantime and it gets harder and harder to find this expression. It sells at an average 65 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: The Light, Fruity and Floral Teaninich Spirit is without any doubt quite suitable for Blends. On a stand alone basis however it's Clean to a point where I really would like to see some more Depth and Complexity. It's okay as a Summer Malt with perhaps a little bit of Ice but at 65 US Dollars I can find better and cheaper alternatives like Glenfiddich or The Glenlivet. It was nice to taste an expression that gets rarer all the time but at the same time I do now appreciate why Teaninich Spirit is hardly ever sold as Single Malt. 

(*) Bend It was a hit single for Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in 1966.

Jan van den Ende                                                        November 30, 2014

Picture Credit: Lion's

Penderyn Aur Cymru Review

“Give Me Just a Little More Time”

Country: Wales

Brand: Penderyn Aur Cymru (Madeira Finish)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Golden

Nose: Give the Penderyn sufficient time in the glass before Nosing. At least half and hour or so. It's a young Whisky and the Alcohol is quite present. At first I find Dried Fruits, New Oak, Apple Pie, light Vanilla and Toffee. After a while some Floral and Grassy tones, light Honey, White Peach, Banana, Dusty Grain, Young Bourbon and Sweet Red Wine appear as well. It certainly shows some character of its own but it would likely benefit from more Cask time. 

Palate: Quite Sweet and a bit Edgy at first and slightly Bitter and Dry later on with Young Oak, light Vanilla, Dried Fruit, light Honey, Banana, Melon, Orange, Bourbon, Sweet Red Wine, Pepper and Ginger.

Finish: Middle-Long and Sweet but later on Dry and Sharp with Oak, Banana, Melon, light Honey, Bitter Orange, Dried Fruit, Toffee, Pepper and Ginger. After a while the Madeira becomes quite noticeable.

I added a bit of water and on the Nose I find extra Honey, Malt and Mandarin. On the Palate and in the Finish the Alcohol retreats of course and that's a good thing. However, the Flavours become too thin for my taste. Try a few drops and see where it gets you!

Rating: 81

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5

Penderyn VC (Picture Credit: Penderyn)

General Remarks: The Penderyn Distillery is located in the village of Penderyn in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons and became operational in 1990. Until 2014, the whole production process from Wash to New Make Spirit occurred in one Single Still and the wash was bought from a local beer brewer. But the production did not keep up with demand and in 2012 a second identical Still was installed, followed in 2014 by 2 additional traditional Pot Stills and Mashing equipment. Thus, capacity increased to 300.000 litres annually. The distillery has a very nice VC that attracts around 35.000 visitors per year. The Aur Cymru (Welsh Gold) I'm tasting today matured in Ex-Bourbons Casks for around 5 years before being finished in Ex-Madeira Casks. It's Non Chill-Filtered. It sells at around 55 US Dollars. I must congratulate Penderyn on the ,Packaging and Presentation of this Whisky. Really very nice and modern!

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: Those of you who read my reviews on a regular basis will know that in general I'm not a huge fan of Red Wine finishing. I often find that the Red Wine makes the Spirit too Sweet. That's also the case with this Penderyn Aur Cymru in my opinion. But let's start with the Nose. I actually like it. There is a lot to discover considering its young age. But its youth also brings lots of edgy Alcohol and that's the reason I took away a full point. But the Character is there and the Madeira adds to the Fruity Young Spirit. Special attention for the White Peach note. Very clear as long as you carefully sniff around the edge of the Glass. As stated before, I find this Penderyn too Sweet on the Palate and the Finish is a bit rough and, well, unfinished. Would be great to see what another 5 years or so in the Ex-Bourbon Cask could do for this Spirit. It would probably better absorb the Sweet Madeira. In any case this is not a bad whisky by all means and the Penderyn Spirit shows it can stand its own ground. It just needs a little more time!

Jan van den Ende                                                         November 25, 2014

The Still at Penderyn (Picture Credit: Penderyn)