This single malt was distilled at the Teaninich Distillery in Alness, north of Inverness, in the Highland region of Scotland. Teaninich produces a savoury, oily Highland spirit that is mostly destined for blending and rarely seen as a single malt, making independent releases like this one a real chance to discover its character.

For this Benchmark release, Murray McDavid matured the spirit in bourbon hogsheads before transferring it to small, first-fill rye whiskey casks from Koval, the craft distillery in Chicago, where it spent around four years. The casks were then brought together for bottling as part of Murray McDavid's Autumn 2023 Benchmark collection.

Koval is one of America's most respected craft distilleries, and its rye whiskey brings a different kind of cask influence from the more familiar bourbon. At just 110 litres, these casks are much smaller than a standard hogshead, giving the spirit greater contact with the wood and allowing the oak and rye influence to develop more quickly.

The spicy, characterful rye casks make a natural partner for Teaninich's robust, oily spirit, adding warmth and spice while the earlier bourbon maturation provides a soft, sweet foundation. Murray McDavid describe the result as a well-balanced and flavourful whisky, and it's a great example of how an unusual cask can bring out the best in a lesser-known distillery.

Aged for 10 years and bottled in Autumn 2023, it is presented at natural cask strength of 51.5% ABV, natural colour and no chill filtration. Limited to 1,600 bottles.