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KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 2 - That Boutique-y Whisky Company Teaninich Batch 6 - 12-Year-Old

Posted on December 8, 2023

by Evan

It is time to crack open Door Number Two and see what lies behind in our 2023 Kensington Wine Market Whisky Calendar, so cross your fingers and hope we packed it correctly! Day Number Two is represented by That Boutique-y Whisky Company Teaninich Batch 6 - 12-Year-Old!

Because I have written about this in the past, and because I am lazy, here is a rundown on That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

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.

Yeah, I did brazenly rip off my own blog post from last year by copying and pasting those five paragraphs directly from Day 4 of the 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar. Here are a few points to consider with this:

The post I copied and pasted this from was also concerning a Teaninch from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, just like this post is.
The Boutique-y Teaninch from last year’s KWM Whisky Calendar was a 10 Year Old that ended up being in my personal top 5 of all the whiskies in that Calendar.
This Teaninich that we will be tasting today is a 12 Year Old. Will it rise to the occasion and the high bar set by the 10 year old of yesteryear?

I have a certain fondness and curiosity for distilleries that do not get featured in Single Malt releases very often. For that reason, Teaninich has been on my mind (and in my glass) often over these past few years. I started watching for bottlings of Teaninch thanks to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society having a few that I enjoyed tasting.

The distillery is owned by spirits giant Diageo. Teaninich is not a small concern whisky-output-wise, but despite being the third largest in terms of Scottish Single Malt production in Diageo’s portfolio, it does not get much love when it comes to official releases and bottlings. A vast majority of the whisky produced at Teaninch is earmarked for blending – playing a role in the Johnnie Walker line amongst others.

What I have found personally draws me to Teaninich whisky is the combination of grassiness, unripe/green fruit, minerality and waxy notes it can exhibit. Will any of that be prominent in the sample in front of us today? Let’s find out!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Teaninich Batch 6 - 12-Year-Old - 59.1%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Plenty of fruit and toasted oak right off the hop. Notes of lemon-scented furniture polish, wine gums, honeydew melon, strawberry rhubarb pie, macadamia nuts, and plain old Cheerios cereal show as well.

Palate: Wow – great build of candied fruit notes right up front, but with a sour/citrus note to balance it out. Dehydrated apple and banana slices, canned pineapple slices, Juicy Fruit gum, and plenty of grain and cerial notes along with some wood spices are carried along with it all

Finish: Pineapple and even mango along with pears and apples on the fade, plus some drying nutty and wood spice notes.

Comment: If haven’t tasted this side by side with the Boutique-y Teaninich 10-year-old from last year, but I think this 12-year-old is a bit less green and leaning into the lush fruit notes more than last year’s dram. Don’t ask me to pick a favourite though – I love all my children – I mean Boutique-y Teaninich - equally!

See you tomorrow for the third day in our 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Facebook & Instagram: @sagelikefool

You can find all blog posts for Kensington Wine Market’s 2023 Whisky Calendar Here

Watch our Day 1 to 5 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar Recap Tasting Video on YouTube here!