Teeling’s history ultimately ends up with it being the first new distillery built in Dublin in nearly 125 years. To get to this point, you have to start back in 1782 when Walter Teeling starts his Teeling distillery. According to From Barley to Blarney*, it went for over a century before being bought by Jameson and then all be disappears. In 1989, John Teeling (a distant relative), opens the Cooley Distillery in County Louth, reviving brands Tyrconnell and Kilbeggan before being acquired by Beam Suntory in 2011. As part of the sale, 16,000 casks are negotiated, becoming the foundation stock for Teeling. With an established brand, the new distiller was opened with 3 pot stills in 2015, and Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is just one of the products to come out of this distillery.
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
- Mash Bill: 3:1 Grain to Malt
- Aging: Ex-Bourbon Casks
- Finishing: Up to 12 Months in Central American Rum Casks
- Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered
- Proof: 92 (46% A.B.V.)
Sight: Old Gold to Amber
Smell: The nose is soft with a nice amount of grain and subtle oak notes. Apple, pear, lemon, and marzipan all jump in. There’s a subtle vanilla here with a little bit of pineapple or tropical fruit. A subtle pastry and spice exists in the background with a bit of wet slate. There’s a heat that comes and goes here.
Sip: The palate is smooth and has this amazing cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and raisin that wraps around the tongue from the word go. The spice has a bit of gum drop / banana and dried stone fruit. The slight yeasty notes are still here and a little candied nutty flavor is there. There’s a nice dessert like cinnamon spice sweetness here that runs through out.
Savor: The ending gets a briefly peppery hit but then is smooth again, with a toned down version of the spice, a good vanillin like character, and subtle woody note with a hint of fruit.
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is a little hard to read on the nose, but really shows out on the palate. The spicy, sweet flavors are fun, deep enough to savor, and easy going. The subtle bready elements really work well here to add some dimension. The ending is a little pedestrian, but the fact that it doesn’t beg for attention might also be beneficial depending on what you’re doing.
In Cocktails
In a Cameron’s Kick Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey really stands up to the orgeat, scotch, and lemon. The dark brown sugar notes and hints of spice play well against the nuttiness of the orgeat. The vanilla and the stone fruit push up against the brightness of lemon. There are some underlying tropical fruit notes here, like banana and pineapple. The result is a complex and layered Cameron’s Kick that plays well throughout.
In Review – Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey is a really solid and amped up Irish Whiskey with a rum finish. While the flavors are very consistent for Irish Whiskey, they do get that extra little darkness of flavor from the rum. This might sound gimmicky, but thanks to the underlying whiskey being well made it feels robust and well crafted. While it isn’t the smoothest or complex whiskey, it is relatively good value at under $40.
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