Rye inside a Scottish still house. It sounds like something went wrong, but at Teaninich in Alness it was entirely deliberate. Back in 2016 they mashed rye alongside barley, ran it through the plant and put it away in ex-bourbon casks. Then eight years passed before anyone was told what was sitting there.
The Expert's Description
Teaninich 8 Years Old Special Release 2025 Rye Rebel is a Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 60.3% cask strength. It is the only bottling in Diageo's Special Releases 2025 collection, Horizons Unbound, that is not a Single Malt Whisky, and the first whisky built around rye that Teaninich has ever let out of the door.
Because the mash carries malted rye as well as malted barley, the whisky cannot be called Single Malt. It is Single Grain: one grain beyond barley, one distillery. Ex-bourbon casks were chosen because they give vanilla and coconut without drowning the dry peppery edge of the rye. The result tastes more American in the middle than at the edges.
Teaninich was founded in 1817 by Hugh Munro and is now Diageo’s third largest malt distillery. Most of what it makes disappears into large blends such as Johnnie Walker Red Label, which is exactly why a bottling under the distillery’s own name is unusual. Rye Rebel also carries the name Daring Rye in some markets.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Fresh rye bread crust and dried dill meet vanilla and coconut macaroon from the bourbon wood. Underneath sit honey, white pepper and a faintly resinous note you rarely find in Scottish malt whisky. At 60.3% it is forceful; a little water brings out lemon peel and cinnamon sugar.
Palate
The rye takes charge immediately: dry, peppery, almost green. Then the bourbon cask arrives with vanilla, caramel and baked corn, and the two pull in opposite directions in a way that keeps your mouth awake. The texture is oily and fills out well. The alcohol is obvious but it pushes rather than burns.
Finish
Medium length and dry. Pepper, oak and a last rye note that grips the tongue lightly. A trace of aniseed right at the end.
Specifications
Name: Teaninich 8 Years Old Special Release 2025 Rye Rebel Single Grain Scotch Whisky 60.3%
Distillery: Teaninich
Bottler: Diageo
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 60.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distilled: 2016
Edition: Special Releases 2025 Horizons Unbound
Flavour Profile
Spiced · Dry · Peppery · Vanilla · Cask Strength · Grain Forward
Did You Know?
Teaninich runs the only mash filter in operation at a Scottish malt distillery. Instead of a traditional mash tun the wort is pressed through filter plates, producing unusually clear wort, and clear wort tends to give a light, grassy, almost fruity spirit. That is also why the rye can push through so plainly here.
See our full range of Teaninich
See our full range of Diageo
Listen to our podcast:
