Teaninich 2009 (bottled 2017) - Connoisseurs Choice (70cl, 46%) ***sold***
A 2009 vintage Teaninich, matured until 2017 before being bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for the Connoisseurs Choice range.
Teaninich was built in the early 19th century and was eventually bought by blenders, Munro & Cameron, in 1895. Their trustees later sold the distillery to DCL in 1933, and it remains part of the Diageo operation to this day. The distillery's primary focus is on provision for the firms many blends, and the 10 year old Flora & Fauna has been the only permanent distillery bottling, with just a handful of rare official releases appearing alongside it over the years. As such, the majority of Teaninich single malt has appeared under independent labels such as this.
Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest and most recognisable whisky companies in the world. Although they began distilling at the newly refurbished Benromach distillery in 1998, for most of their history they were an independent bottler. Their labels are recognised by whisky lovers the world over, and their licensed bottlings from distillery's like Macallan and Talisker in the 1970s and 1980s, when the companies were not bottling themselves, are a huge part of the success of those distillers today.
The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.