Review #802 - Brave New Spirits Teaninich 9 Year Single Cask
In March 2026, we had a chance to attend a tasting with Brave New Spirits, an independent bottler, as they launched their products in the United States. This Glasgow-based bottler was established in 2020, and they focus on bottling Scotch whiskies; they're also building Witchburn distillery in Campbeltown. Our tasting centered around releases in their 'Cask Masters' line - this is 1 of 6 reviews from the launch.
Teaninich is another one of Diageo's blend fodder distilleries: it's a large operation with an annual capacity of more than 10 million liters of spirit, but almost none of that production is bottled as a single malt. Instead, this make generally supports blends such as Johnnie Walker or Bell's.
This single cask was bottled at the relatively young age of 9 years, but it still sports a dark natural liquid color thanks to a finish in a first fill Manzanilla sherry cask. Manzanilla is one of the drier varieties of sherry; let's see how that interacts with the classic grassy, malty style of Teaninich distillate.
Brave New Spirits Teaninich 9 Year Single Cask
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 112 (2026)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 51.5% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in a first fill Manzanilla sherry cask
Details: Cask #2313507; distilled January 12, 2016; bottled August 7, 2025; 301 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Musty, a strong balsamic vinegar note, as well as some funk. Sulphury scents build, and we get a mixture of stewed fruit and pork. It's quite rich, but also quite pungent.
Palate: Tons of sulphur for us - a lot of character. Grapes and strong sherry notes bring some sweetness, and we get a lot of savory notes as well. Vegetal malt adds a backbone, as well as a bit of wood spice and some grassy flavors.
Finish: Grape skins with tannins, quite a dirty whisky now - strong, still meaty and pungent. Oranges, wood spice, and soft grassy notes continue.
Final Note: Wow, what a cask. For us, this was extremely pungent with that strong dry sherry cask - it came across in a sulphury way to us, but we don't mind that profile, and we think it added a lot of character. This was our personal favorite of the drams tasted during the night.
Strong sherry fruits and funk, somewhat tannic despite the young age, a lot of savory or meaty notes - this was a fun glass to dig into, a real 'love it or hate it' whisky.
Value here is good for us, the best of the series of releases we tried. It's a little bit expensive considering the age statement, but this packs so much interesting flavor, we definitely think it's worth it.
Our Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.64
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Teaninich reviews:
Review #264 - SMWS 59.69 'Exotic Tantalisation' - Teaninich 13 Year
Review #202 - Alexander Murray Teaninich 13 Year Single Cask
