Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey Review

 

My history with Teeling Whiskey goes back about ten years. I was the Whiskey Consultant for Vom Fass’s flagship store in Madison, Wisconsin, and several independent bottlings of Teeling whiskeys were available. One of them, Against the Grain, was my secret weapon whenever someone came into the store and suggested they didn’t care for whiskey. I’d pour them a sample, and it was a game-changer more often than not.

 

If you’re not familiar with the Teeling family, you should be. Go back a few generations to Walter Teeling, who started the journey in 1792 in Dublin. Teelings have been involved ever since. In 2015, John Teeling purchased a formerly state-owned industrial whiskey facility, installed a couple of stills, and was known as the Cooley Distillery. Cooley wasn’t just any distillery; it was winning accolades for what it produced. It became so much so that in 2011, Beam Suntory bought it.

 

You'd be wrong if you thought that was the end of the Teelings. John’s sons, Stephen and Jack, teamed with their first employee, Alex Chasko (its Master Distiller and Blender), and opened the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in 2015. It was the first new distillery in Dublin in 125 years. Because of that, combined with laws governing Irish whiskey, anything with the Teeling label before 2018 is sourced (and often Cooley distillate).

 

“At Teeling Whiskey we are dedicated to bringing new, and innovative flavours, to Irish Whiskey. Inspired by both traditional and unconventional techniques in distillation and maturation, Teeling Whiskey is creating small batch bottlings of true character never tasted before, raising the bar for Irish Whiskey with hundreds of International Whiskey awards.” – Teeling Whiskey

 

Today, I’m pouring Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey. It is made from grain and malt whiskeys (approximately 60% and 40%) aged in former Bourbon barrels. Once matured, they are blended and poured into former Central American rum casks for twelve months. Small Batch is non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and weighs in at 46% ABV (92°). While it doesn’t carry an age statement, the rumor mill suggests it is at least five years old. You can expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $30.00 for a 750ml package.

 

I procured a 50ml bottle of Teeling Small Batch at a random liquor store (random, meaning I don’t even recall which state I found it – whenever I travel, I’m always picking up 50mls.). Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this whiskey is all about!

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into a Glencairn glass to explore neat. The bright, golden liquid created a thicker rim with bold, tightly spaced, slow tears.

 

Nose: After allowing the whiskey to rest for about ten minutes, I brought the class to my nose and inhaled. There were bright citrus notes – lemon and lime, apricots, white raisins, malt, and brown sugar. Drawing the air through my lips exposed me to toffee and caramel.

 

Palate: Teeling Small Batch possessed a thick, creamy mouthfeel. I tasted honey, brown sugar, and vanilla on the front. Midway through, I encountered toffee, pecans, and chocolate. The back included bananas, mild oak, and ginger spice.

 

Finish: Flavors of bananas, dry rye, candied ginger, pecans, chocolate, and oak seemed stuck in my mouth and throat, then slowly faded. I timed it at 1:26, making it a medium duration. It was fairly warm.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Teeling Small Batch provides the sipper with a little bit of everything. There’s something here for both casual and die-hard Irish whiskey fans alike. The sweeter, almost required notes are there. Yet, spice fans weren’t overlooked. That 92° seemed practically perfect, still allowing flavors to shine through without letting the alcohol become overwhelming. Tack on the $30.00 entry fee, and this one is an easy Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.