Scotch Whisky Review #378 & 379: Chieftain’s Glendullan and Teaninich 20 Year (1999)
Bottler: Ian MacLeod.
Price: ~$35 for 1 oz pours of both at Proof 192 in Omaha, NE.
Scotch Whisky Review #378: Chieftain’s Glendullan 20 Year (1999)
Distillery: Glendullan.
Region: Speyside.
Age: Distilled April 1999, Bottled August 2019.
Cask Type: Barrel.
Cask Number: 5899.
ABV: 46%.
Color: 0.5, Yellow Gold. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.
Nose: It’s really boozy, far boozier than the stated 46% ABV suggests it should be. It reeks of ethanol and rubbing alcohol.
Palate: The palate is boozy, just like the nose suggests it will be. Ethanol is the first note out of the gates. After you get past it with the help of a bit of water, it’s incredibly simple. It’s malt driven with a little bit of cream, a touch of vanilla, and far too much oak.
Finish: Medium to short in length. Cream is the only real note.
Final Score: 72.
Scotch Whisky Review #379: Chieftain’s Teaninich 20 Year (1999)
Distillery: Teaninich.
Region: Highland.
Age: Distilled March 1999, Bottled August 2019.
Cask Type: Bourbon Barrel.
Cask Number: 302865.
ABV: 56.2%.
Color: 0.1, White Wine. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.
Nose: It’s fruity and quite heavy. The fruit comes in the form of green apples, white grapes, and a spritz of champagne. The heaviness comes in the form of a malty note that just feels heavy as you nose it. The closest thing I can think of is that it reminds me of some of the noses I get from distilleries like Craigellachie that use a worm tub. As far as I know, Teaninich does not use one so I’ve not got a clue where this is coming from or what it is.
Palate: It is quite funky with a mix of cream and mushrooms along with malt. It’s almost a dead-on ringer for mushroom risotto. With water, a spirtz of lemon gets added into the mushroom risotto notes. It remains quite creamy and has the mushroom funk going on.
Finish: Short in length. Mushroom risotto appears again.
Final Score: 81.
Conclusion: Chieftain’s was the first real independent bottler I tried and while I probably wouldn’t rate that first one the same now as I did then, the bottling line is one I’m always excited to try even if it is now discontinued. This pair of Chieftain’s represents the first time I’ve tried Glendullan outside of Diageo’s official bottlings and the first time I’ve tried Teaninich period (I’ve previously reviewed the others pictured: Braeval and Ledaig). The Glendullan did not impress in the slightest. It was significantly hotter and boozier than 46% should be and honestly drank more like a 4-6 year old whisky given how hot and simple it was. The Teaninich was, on the other hand, an interesting one. It tasted so much of mushroom risotto to me throughout the palate and finish. /u/Herr_Maltenberg tells me that his bottle of this absolutely does not have that kind of profile so I’m left wondering what magic happened to this particular bar bottle. Overall, I’m not surprised the Glendullan didn’t take off but the Teaninich leaves me absolutely curious for more from them.
Scotch Whisky Review #378 & 379, Speyside Review #137, Highland Review #75, Whisky Network Review #532 & 533
Scoring Legend:
- 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
- 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
- 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
- 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
- 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
- 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
- 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
- Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.
Scotch & Sheen 
