Teeling Whiskey seems to be setting it’s sights on making Irish Whiskey the most popular spirit in the world once again, leading the huge resurgence the spirit category has seen in recent years. The young, multi-award winning, unconventionally independent producer has expanded to 46 countries in recent years, Australia being one of the most recent, where we saw their entire range launch in 2015 along with a forthcoming limited edition (The Revival 15 Y.O Single Malt) which Teeling are being made available at a special St Patrick’s Day party in Melbourne this month. With Teeling winning four accolades at the first stage of the 2016 World Whiskies Awards, potentially being crowned the global title of World’s Best Single Malt Whiskey (an award announced on 16th March), and being shortlisted for a 2016 business award from the Financial Times, we thought now is a good a time as any to take a look at Teeling’s ubiquitous Small Batch Irish Whiskey in our latest “On the Shelf”.
As a brand, Teeling has been around as a family-owned and operated company since 1782 when Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery in the heart of Dublin, enjoying dominance in the category until a sharp fall in the industry forced closure in 1976. The new incarnation of Teeling is a comeback story of sorts then, beginning in 2012 when Jack Teeling set out to carry on his family legacy with his brother Stephen Teeling, last year opening up the first new Teeling Whiskey distillery Dublin has seen in 125 years. The pending release of The Revival 15 Y.O Single Malt will make this occasion.
Teeling have plenty of unique, handcrafted small batch whiskeys on offer in Australia now, with their flagship remaining one of the most interesting blended Irish Whiskey to come along in some time. The Teeling Single Malt is finished in, surprisingly, Flor de Caña rum casks and bottled at 46% ABV, slightly higher than standard, drawing much of it’s character from a higher-than-normal ratio of malt to grain. The multiple Gold and Silver medals in competitions around are well justified here even if on your first nose it’d be hard to shake off the dominance of rum with apple tart and fruity notes. You’ll have to nose it a few times to get through to the lighter Irish Whiskey notes with some subtle grassy notes. Thankfully the liquid is much less vague on the palate, full-bodied with a chewy texture that brings some brown sugar and molasses to the front before the taste turns to the stronger notes of honey, vanilla, and cinnamon, and the more subtle hints of dark fruits. The burn is a bit harsh towards the back, changing the texture a bit but holding onto that lovely cinnamon and vanilla to balance the peppery finish. Being full-bodied, the taste will linger for awhile.
The sharpness of the finish can mask a lot of the complexities of the mid-palate so adding a few drops of water seems like the way to go if you want to be drinking this neat. I see it working well with a variety of cocktail, many of which Teeling have already suggested with original recipes like the Teeling Rosemary Hot Whiskey Cocktail (Teeling Single Malt, rosemary, lemon, honey, and star anise) and The Redleg Rebellion (Teeling Small Batch, Clement Creole Shrubb, Taylor’s Velvent Falernum, pineapple, and lime).
You can find Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey for $55.99 per bottle at Dan Murphy’s HERE. It’s also available at other outlets where all good Whiskies are sold.
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