Today I look at something from Ireland, the Teeling Small Batch Irish whiskey. In 1782 Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties area of Dublin.
Little did he know that this was the start of a Teeling whiskey distilling tradition that will span more than 230 years. Dublin was traditionally the heart of the Irish whiskey industry.
But unfortunately, as the economy turned, Irish whiskey fell on hard times, and so did distilling in Dublin, and the last still ran dry in 1976. In 1987 John Teeling converted an older potato alcohol plant to a distillery.
Situated on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, the Cooley Distillery company crafted Irish whiskey under a Teeling’s control. In 2012 Beam bought the Cooley Company, and again it looked like the end of the distilling tradition for the Teeling family.
But the distilling tradition is hard to get out of your blood and bones, and in 2012, the Teeling Whiskey Company started in Dublin.
It is only a stone’s throw from Walter Teelings’ old distillery. The latest generation of Teeling, namely Jack and Stephen, are carrying on the family’s tradition. It is also the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125 years. A distillery right in the heart of Dublin.
The opening of the Teeling Distillery brings the craft of distilling back into the very heart of Dublin city centre. The Teeling Whiskey Company aims to be Ireland’s leading independent Irish whiskey producer through a selection of unique handcrafted small batch Irish whiskeys.
In addition to the Teeling Small Batch Irish whiskey, there is also a single grain Irish whiskey and a single malt whiskey in their portfolio.
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I bought the bottle of Teeling Irish whiskey at my favourite whisky shop, WhiskyBrother in Hydepark. The Teeling Small Batch whiskey was finished for 6 months in Rum casks. It is not chill-filtered and bottled during May 2014.
COUNTRY: Ireland
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Quite a light colour. Golden wheat.
NOSE: Sweet with barley and grains. Grassy floral notes and fresh fruit salad are drifting around. Adding some water enhances the floral character of the Teeling Small Batch whiskey.
PALATE: Boiled sweets, condensed milk and apricots. There are hints of winter spice, like nutmeg and cinnamon, intermingling with some woody notes. The Small Batch is creamy and rich on the palate.
FINISH: Medium length and then comes back with notes of spice and creamy oak. Easy drinking and smooth.
RATING: EXCELLENT
This Teeling whiskey is one of the few drams that I would prefer without water. Nice and sweet with just the right balance of spiciness. It makes for a great addition to the collection, and I will look for more from this Dublin distillery.
In South Africa, this Irish whiskey retails for around R490 and is readily available. Now I need to go and find a nice creamy Irish cheese to pair it with. I tried it with a bit of vanilla ice cream, and it paired wonderfully.
I have done a side by side comparison between the Teeling Single Malt and Single Grain whiskey to understand the differences between them.
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