Whisky : Teaninich 10 Year SMWS 59.64 “Get Lost…”

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 57.5%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon (8Y), HTMC Hogshead (2Y)

Age : 10 Year (Distilled 18 Feb. 2010)

Nose : Pears and spice with hints of roasted meat.  Crispy Bosc pears, green apples, and dried fruit leather.  A woody spice slowly built up with pepper, dried vanilla beans, and a mild salt.  Under currents of Chinese roasted pork skins and honeydew melon.

Palate : Thick and syrupy with a rich profile of vanilla, tropical fruits, and herbal tea.  Bright lime leaves, matcha pastries, and a mild creaminess led into White Rabbit candies and Mango milk tea.  Loads of tannic structure allowed notes of tropical fruit soft serve and vanilla pudding to linger across the palate.

Finish :  Lingering notes of milk tea and taro tapioca.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Taro Pudding Boba Tea

Notes :  This Teaninich was absolutely jam packed with flavor and an incredibly rich mouthfeel.  This was the first time I can think of where I thought the dram was almost heavy and would have been better if it were a bit lighter.  It was youthful and a bit hot, but also quite aggressively tannic.  A few drops of water did mellow some of these characteristics out, but also pushed the dram toward a less enjoyable saccharine-candy profile.

Overall, this was really intriguing with some delicious fruit notes that carried it to a mark just a bit above average.  I wish some more of the fruits came out on the nose, but generally our whole tasting group was surprised just how tasty this was.