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KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar Day 4: Boutique-y Teaninich 10 Year Old

Posted on December 4, 2022

BONUS CONTENT: Read Andrew's write-up on the first KWM Cask Bourbon we ever had here! Yes, there was a time when we could get single casks of Buffalo Trace. Can you believe it?!?

by Evan

Day four of the 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar is now upon us. What delights will today bring? Check what is behind that door and you will find we are headed back to Scotland for a bottle from That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

If you had last year’s KWM Whisky Calendar, have seen our store shelves over the past few years, or have attended one of the many virtual tastings we have run during Covid, you may know a bit about That Boutique-y Whisky Company and the quirky labels featured on their bottles. If this is your first experience with them, here is some background:

That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an Independent Bottler, owned by parent company Atom Brands. Atom Brands in turn is owned by massive drinks company AB InBev, which acquired the group in April of 2018. AB InBev is responsible for a few minor Beer brands that you may have heard of including Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois.

Atom Brands itself is responsible for more than That Boutique-y Whisky Company. They also bottle Gin and Rum under the That Boutique-y xxxx Company moniker. Plus, they own Master of Malt – a popular UK internet-based whisky retailer. In conjunction with Master of Malt, Atom also runs Drinks By The Dram – which rebottles whisky into smaller, dram-sized minis that are sold individually or repacked into gift packs and – get this – something called a Whisky Holiday Calendar. Crazy idea, no? The company is the originator of the whisky calendar idea, as far as I can tell, and Kensington Wine Market first carried one of these whisky calendars a year before Andrew created the first of our own back in 2014.

Back to That Boutique-y Whisky Company itself. If none of the above two paragraphs made any sense to you, the idea of an independent bottler may be a new concept as well. If that is the case, then prepare yourself for a potentially exciting new phase in your whisky Journey!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an Independent Bottler of Scotch Whisky and other spirits. An Independent bottler purchases spirit and whisky from distilleries and brokers and then bottles it under their own label. Independent Bottlers typically bottle whisky in either small batches or from single casks. They aren’t as concerned with the consistency of style as a company that owns the distillery might be and do not have to worry about one batch being different from the next. Indie Bottlers care more about getting interesting whisky that shows well and will sell well. Because of this, they tend to be a great way to explore a distillery or style beyond what you get from the official bottlings.

Because Andrew is awesome, and because Dave Worthington of That Boutique-y Whisky Company is also awesome, the two of them decided to share their awesomeness with us and the world by recording their own background information and tasting notes for this bottle of Teaninich. You can find this on our Kensington Wine Market YouTube page or by clicking here!

Click Above For The YouTube Video!

Independent Bottlers are also often the only way to get your hands on whisky from certain distilleries, like this bottling of Teaninich. Ever seen an official bottle of Teaninich before? There aren’t many of them around, and they usually don’t come to Canada. In fact, most of the whisky Teaninich Distillery produces is earmarked for blending and was never meant to be bottled on its own. Teaninich’s whisky is a key component in the Johnnie Walker range.

This may make it sound like Teaninch tends to be boring and just used for bulk whisky output, but over the past few years, it has become a single malt I keep my eye out for. Good Teaninch, to me, exhibits a combination of green orchard fruit and waxy oak notes that has made me stay on the lookout for more.

Will this Teaninch from That Boutique-y Whisky Company offer some of what I am looking for? It is time to find out!

Boutique-y Teaninich - Batch 3 - 10 Year Old

Also available in 500ml bottles

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Floral and grassy – like you are in a meadow in the spring - just after a light rain. Chamomile tea, angel food cake, cantaloupe slices, grapefruit peels, polished oak, and a touch of chalk dust and Crayola crayons.

Palate: Creamy, chalky and slightly waxy on the tongue in a delightful manner with notes of vanilla pod, white chocolate, ripe pears, honeydew melon, a touch of pomelo citrus, chamomile tea again, candied ginger and a hint of salt.

Finish: Light and creamy and nearly ethereal with the occasional burst of flavour to remind you of how good it tastes.

Comment: This is light done right, and is spot on what I was hoping: Exhibit A on how balanced and delicious a delicate whisky can be. Nothing is overpowering here, but it has poise and finesse that many more full-flavoured whiskies often lack. I am buying myself a larger bottle of this right now.

Wow. It is too early to decide what my favourites from this year's KWM Whisky Calendar are since we still have more than 20 drams to make our way through, but this and the Paul John PX from yesterday may both end up contenders for my top five. There are still plenty of Whisky Calendar minis that could topple the Paul John and this Teaniich for me, but a high bar has been set!

Cheers,
Evan
[email protected]
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, KWM Whisky Calendar 2022

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