Rating
Price
Circa £35
In A Nutshell
Ultra smoothly very super drinkable, but somewhat lacking in character. If you’re looking for this kind of ‘easy drinking’ Irish silky smoothness you could probably get the same thing a little cheaper.
Feeling The Teeling
Teeling whiskey was founded in the Liberties area of Dublin in 1782 by a bloke called Walter Teeling. This time was, apparently, the heyday for Irish whiskey – and this part of Dublin became known as the ‘golden triangle’ for the sheer number of distilleries to be found in a 1 mile radius. As we know, Irish whiskey fell out of favour and in 1976 the last distillery in Dublin closed. However, the Teeling family weren’t done, and brothers Jack and Stephen continue the family tradition, having recently reopened a distillery just a stone’s throw from the original site (I don’t know the exact date but I do know that they’re open for tours in 2015 – woo!)
All the Teeling whiskeys are bottled at 46% with no chill filtration – each bottle carries has Jack Teeling’s signature (I assume he doesn’t stand on the assembly line signing every one to come off but you never know), plus details of the casks used and the date of bottling. The Irish have been distilling stuff for more than a thousand years – before whiskey there was Poteen / Poitín (and Teeling apparently make one of these as well). This can be a lot stronger and as far as I know, is usually not aged.
I believe the Small Batch is their flagship dram (do the Irish say ‘dram?’ I dunno). As the name may suggest it’s a small batch bottling with a higher than average malt to grain ratio, aged in used American Oak and given plus some additional maturation in ex- Flor de Caña rum barrels to add some more character (and I’ve yet to find a rum finish that I don’t like!) It seems to go for about £35 a bottle. There’s no age statement but I hear the blend averages between 4 and 7 years (I may be wrong).
We Drink It, Stuff Happens
Nose
First Impression: Not much residual alcohol evaporating up into your olfactory bad self. The ‘usual culprits’ of honey, caramel and I suppose a little, itty bitty nuttymess. Plus something ever so slightly musty underneath the sweetness. Feels young, I suppose.
Palette
It’s 46% ABV but smooth as obsidian. This is noticeable on first dram. Not much residual burning on the tongue. Not much character or unusual stuff happening here, but very silky all the same. And…the more you drink it, the smoother it gets (yup)
Kinda bothers me because I’m compelled to drink more and more of it, trying to pick out more nuances and it’s just getting like…silkier and silkier. Like a whiskey siren that calls, but never delivers. Compulsively so (inb4 “you have a drinking problem”)
Eventually I get some things: The ‘standard’ whiskey flavours: caramel, smoke and some honey – but kinda toned down. Hint of raisins or something sweet too, aside from honey – and right at the back of the throat. Maybe white sugar.
There’s also a little bit of white pepper – but not fiery, super fresh white pepper. Like white pepper that’s been sitting in the shaker for a little too long and has lost some of its punch. This white pepper attacks the all pervasive silkiness and adds a little character to the whiskey.
Plus maybe the tiniest hint of some super tart black cherry – just a little, hiding next to the caramel notes. Could be the whiskey equivalent of a light to medium bodied white wine – not taking up much space on your palette.
Finish
You get the nuttiness which is first, which fades to caramel. It’s like a cloud that quickly lands on your tongue and then quickly floats away. The nuttiness can’t last anything more than 5 seconds. Mainly leaves the honey, a little caramel, barest hint of white pepper.
It’s a pretty short finish, allowing you to quickly drink more – oh dear. Oh dear oh dear (I have wanted to use a Chuckle Brothers reference in a whiskey review for a long time and now I have succeeded…)
Verdict
Not bad by any means, but not really exciting enough to justify the price tag. Very, very easy to drink and certainly something I’d give to someone who thinks that straight whiskey is too harsh. If someone had given this to me when I was 16 I’d probably have converted to Irish whiskey straight away and who knows where that would have lead…?