Review #170: Orphan Barrel Castle’s Curse

PROOF: 94.8

AGE: 14 yrs

COST: $150 for 750mL bottle (South Carolina)

REGION: Highlands (Mainland)

Castle’s Curse is a single malt Scotch whisky from the Teaninich Distillery aged for 14 years in European oak casks. The Teaninich Distillery was founded in 1817 and has been in fairly steady operation for its 200+ years of operation with the exception of a couple hiatuses here and there. While it has transferred hands quite a bit over the years, it is currently under ownership of Diageo (thus the reason being featured in this Orphan Barrel expression). The Teaninich Distillery does not currently release any of its own labels, but instead mainly produces whisky that is used in blends. However, there are occasionally brands that will release a single malt whisky featuring Teaninich whisky. Now, in my head, if a distillery primarily produces whisky to be used in blends, that tells me it’s not good enough to stand on its own. But is that the case? Let’s find out!

This is from bottle 13,139. Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Slightly tarnished brass in color (1.2); oily looking with slow, tear drop legs.

NOSE: The nose is a euphony of bright fruit notes and vanilla. Pear, tart apple, and clementine all stand out. The vanilla is accompanied by herbaceous notes of dried sage, a touch of mint, and a slight peat note.

PALATE: A slightly creamy mouthfeel, but thinner than it appears. The nose transfers over to the palate quite well. Poached pears with a dash of cinnamon and allspice. That zesty citrus note of clementine from the nose has a healthy amount of honey with it. There’s a dried mint note that shows up as peppermint mid-palate and then turns more herbal. Abundant amounts of vanilla dance around all the other notes with a subtle peat back drop. Quite enjoyable and complex.

FINISH: Long, slightly drying, and spicier than the rest of the sip. The cinnamon and mint notes combine to make a bit more of an bite than previously. The poached pear from the palate continues on for quite a long time into the finish. The vanilla persists but begins to combine with some oak notes as vanillin rich oak. There is a slight musty note that carries with the subtle peat note long into the finish.

RATING: 7.8/10

OVERALL: My verdict is that this Teaninich whisky can absolutely stand on its own! This was a great whisky! When I first opened this bottle in early 2024, it was a bit more peaty than I was expecting. I had a few sips from it and then didn’t touch the bottle for about 4-6 months. When I revisited it, it was loaded with beautiful fruit, honey, and herbal notes, and the peat was very slight in the background. I do wish the mouthfeel lived up to the appearance, and the musty note in the finish being one of the last notes that linger was a bit disappointing. But overall though, fantastic pour!

In doing a little digging, it does appear that you can pick up a few other labels that feature a single malt from Teaninich with decent age statements of around 10-17 years, a lot for less than $100 a bottle, and about 95% of them for less than $300. So, if Teaninich is a distillery that you’ve not experienced before but sounds like something you’d like to check out, just do a little Googling to find you a bottle if you can’t find Castle’s Curse.

 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect