Teeling Whiskey Tweet Tasting

To celebrate 231 years of whiskey distilling tradition within the Teeling Family, Independent Irish whiskey maker the Teeling Whiskey Company has launched its flagship premium Irish whiskey brand Teeling Whiskey.

Jack Teeling, founder of the Teeling Whiskey Co., comes from a family long associated with Irish whiskey. The Teeling family are more recently synonymous with Cooley Distillery, which when established in 1987 was the first Irish whiskey distillery set up in Ireland in over 100 years. However the family’s whiskey heritage dates back to distilling in Dublin in 1782 and Walter Teeling who set up a distillery in Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties. Jack continues on the Teeling’s entrepreneurial spirit and while initially starting out as an Independent bottler aims to get back into the distilling game to ensure a constant supply of Irish whiskey.

The Tweet Tasters were sent four different expressions for the event along with a miniature of their small batch rum cask Irish Whiskey and a rather splendid nosing glass (which I used for water in this event).

In addition each of the whiskies were being paired with music and a play list had been selected and links to each on the playlist were sent out during the Tweet Tasting, I was already with my Irish music collection, and actually have all but the last one saved on my ipod, but would have put all these alongside some Flogging Molly!

• Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey: U2 - Desire
• Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey: Thin Lizzy - Whiskey in Jar
• Teeling 21 Year Old Single Malt : Dubliners - Dirty Old Town
• Teeling 26 Year Old Single Malt: Luke Kelly - Auld Triangle

Whisky Discovery #659

Teeling Single Grain NAS (46% abv)
Irish Single Grain Whiskey
circa £45.00 70cl

Single Grain bottlings are very rare as it is typically blended with heavier styles of Irish whiskey to create many of the well-known brands on the market today. Grain whiskey is made through the combination of unique ingredients, predominately maize/corn which is distilled through a modern technique of column distillation. This produces an exceptionally clean, smooth and sweet Irish whiskey. The smooth, sweet nature of Grain whiskey provides a natural canvas which allows the Teeling Whiskey Company to create a very unique style of Irish whiskey.

To add a depth of character, Teeling Single Grain is exclusively fully matured in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels. This creates a very distinctive rich amber colour while imparting strong spicy notes, lush red berry and grape flavours. This proprietary maturation technique produces a very unique Irish whiskey of distinctive character while still being remarkably easy to drink. Like all the Teeling whiskeys it is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration allowing for all the natural flavours of the whiskey to be retained.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: The nose is lovely! Victoria sponge cake, light vanilla, with some lemon notes, almost like a fresh lemon cheesecake. I was picking up some sawdust too. Onto the palate and there's some dry straw grassy notes. It's spicy too but settles to give some sweet citrus notes like sweet satsumas and sour apple Chewits

Dave said: The nose opens with sweet cereal notes, hints of wild strawberry, some lemon zest and vanilla sneaking in too. Whilst it starts quite strong it seems to soften quickly to a creamy vanilla flavour. The sharp wild strawberry note also softens to that of strawberry yogurt . This is smooth and creamy and the soft strawberry flavour continues onto the palate, albeit more like a Strawberry Chewit now. A very nice sipping whiskey, gentle fruit flavours, very creamy too, starting to dry the mouth at the end.

So what did the others think?
@SteveRascal: Light cereal... Hints toward spice? Touch of citrus, lemon zest maybe. 

@EdinburghWhisky: The sort of spirit note you'd expect from a grain but there is also almonds and vanilla.

@kizzsmyth: A touch of varnish, but a lot of sweetness on the nose

@TheSmokyDram: More of the citrus fruit notes for me on the nose as it spends more time in the glass

@chanddenwhite: Sweet Strawberry coming though on the middle palate.

@thomas_speller: Creamy white chocolate on the palate, with some almonds and grass. Hint of ginger on the finish

@TheWhiskyWire: A red fruit frenzy on the palate, with a velvety vinous vivaciousness. 

@PWulf: Taste That was really smooth ! A very round and full flavour of vanilla ice cream.

@Girl_Whisky: Taste: Lovely, sweet, spicy, smooth, cinnamon, chocolate, warm, berries, strawberries, mellow, lemon and citrus

Whisky Discovery #534

Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask NAS (46% abv)

Irish Whiskey

circa £32.00 70cl

Teeling Irish Whiskey is a small batch bottling from hand selected casks of Grain and Malt whiskey which are further matured in ex-Flor de Cana Rum barrels. Teeling Irish Whiskey is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration which provides an extra sweet and smooth flavour making it truly a unique Irish Whiskey.

I first tasted this at The Midlands Whisky Festival back in September, it was one of the highlights of the day and I brought a bottle home with me. I took this bottle out to friends over Christmas, along with an armful of other malts, and it was everyone's favourite that night.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: On first pouring I was finding some dried pebbles on the beach, a hint of salt and some sherbet notes. It opens up later bringing orange marmalade on toast and Portuguese custard tarts. I tweeted 'Woah!' on the first sip as I could taste so much fruit: mango, dried pineapple, pears, and dried apricots. Exotic spices followed;  fennel or caraway seeds. Later the rum notes come through; Demerara sugar, and a touch of palm sugar too

Dave said: Another soft nose; grains and tropical fruit, like one of those breakfast chewy bars. Lots of dried tropical fruits, peach/apricot flavours. Sweet with runny honey and sultanas. Returning to this at the end of the tweet tasting I was finding Banana and Ginger cake. The palate is sweet and creamy initially, a little zesty spice follows and then lots of dried tropical fruits, finishing quite dry. I loved it when I first 'discovered' it and it's been a crowd pleaser with my friends too.

So what did the others think?

@SteveRascal: Rum and raisin ice cream fleetingly disappears with the first sniff.
@whiskybars: On the nose autumnal berries, orange peel and a hint of spice at first
@LRWhisky: Lots of brown sugar, almost like a decadent chocolate cake mix
@ansgarspeller: On this nose some nice rum soaked raisin and vanilla notes
@eimearocarroll: Sharper notes on the nose. Haribo sour sweets
@Girl_Whisky: Warm, chocolate, tropical, raisins, banana, lemon, tea leaves
@champdenwhite White rum flavours hit at first with the deeper darker notes following a little later after it opens up. Touches of Pineapple within the tropical overall fruit.
@kizzsmyth: Not as smooth on the palate as the grain. Tropical tho, pineapple and mango... held together with a dollop of dark treacle
@MCRWhiskyClub: Cajun Squirrel pie, hot from the oven. Just-Roll puff sweet puff pastry top
b7ryn: Palate - pear and pepper ice cream. Goes quickly, and leaves cola ice-poles lingering for ages. It delivers!!
PWulf: Taste: Sweet and banana skids (Toffee with banana taste). Some harshness at the end that elevates the taste."
@MasterOfMalt: Yep. Palate lives up to the nose. Very good. Not just clever branding (although it is *also* clever branding).

Whisky Discovery #660

Teeling 21 Year Old Silver Reserve (46% abv)
Irish Single Malt Whiskey
circa £137.00 70cl

Containing some of the oldest Single Malt Irish whiskey ever bottled. This Silver Reserve bottling consists of 21 Year Old Irish whiskey distilled in 1991 and matured firstly in Bourbon casks then allowed to marry in Sauternes wine casks to provide a truly unique Irish whiskey taste experience. 

Consisting of only hand selected casks chosen for their distinctive taste qualities this small batch bottling is limited to just 5,000 bottles.

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: This is much richer and I was finding notes of cold wet leaf mulch, it's much more earthy. Amongst the earthiness there are dried fruit notes; apricots, sweet tamarind, and dates. At the time I tweeted "It smells like I'm in the old wardrobe amongst the fur coats, waiting to walk through to Narnia" After a little while in the glass (we often spend a long time nosing before we're allowed to taste at Steve's Tweet Tastings!) I was finding cedar wood (hence the wardrobe statement) rolling tobacco, linseed oil, baked bananas, and dark chocolate. This is so complex.

The initial taste is of toasted Pecan nuts and treacle tarts. There's a slight oily mouth feel to this silky smooth very pleasant dram. I loved the richer, maltier notes.The cedar wood found on the nose is there on the palate, spice with fresh chillies, and banana fritters following up.

Dave said: I found fragrant smoke in this immediately, but there's a ton of tropical fruits too. A very complex and constantly evolving nose with plenty to keep you occupied. Liquorice toffees, Thai style pineapple jam, a touch of green coconut and a certain earthiness and damp wood along with a faint linseed oil note struggling to get past the more dominant flavours. What a great nose this has! Returning to this after tasting all four the smokiness becomes much more apparent after leaving in the glass for a while.

This has a sweet entry, but much richer and creamier with hints of antique wood and baked pear. After the spices a fragrant tobacco note and dried papaya bringing back the tropical fruits. Unfortunately it's a little above my budget but so delicious, I need to find a better paying job!

So what did the others think?
@PWulf: Nose: children's feet and peat. Läkerol special lozenges. Wood and some boat tar."
@LRWhisky: A big dose of acetate initially, like Airfix glue. Quite herby after that.

@Girl_Whisky: Pineapple, salty, pepper, antique wax, red fruit, cherries, coconut, complex

@CHampdenWhite1: Very fruity nose, sweet and tropical, hints of pineapple with a salty kicker

@MasterOfMalt: Epic nose. Tropical Fruit, and a bit more tropical fruit? Pineapple.

@EdinburghWhisky: Ginger sponge, custard creams and vanilla top hats. It's all the party treats.

@b7ryn: Nose - top drawer (literally). getting a bit of 50's g-plan furniture I just bought. Maturity, class and distinction.

@eimearocarroll: "Wet dog (but a nice 1), leather, smoky like an old Irish man's tweed jacket, tinned mackerel

@thomas_speller: The palate is quite complex too; sweet rubber apricot clover honey and a struck match… wow.

@SteveRascal: Flavours shifting from soft and sweet to earthen spice. Nut in there too, like a bag of nuts and raisins.

@AlpacaJo: The palate is more pipe smoke than camp-fire. Smooth and lingering, almost as if you can taste the age in the smoke.

@ansgarspeller: That dark Indonesian cake with spices in it, oranges, and dried fruit, mint, chocolate

@MCRWhiskyClub: Palate - Cherry tobacco notes, home made mincemeat and peach tin syrup

Whisky Discovery #661

Teeling 26 Year Old Gold Reserve (46% abv)

Irish Single Malt Whiskey

circa £00.00 70cl

Our finale dram was a very special exclusive preview of: the not yet released Teeling 26 Year Old Single Malt (Gold Reserve). Again some of the oldest Single Malt Irish whiskey ever bottled consisting of 26 Year Old Irish whiskey distilled in 1987 and matured firstly in Bourbon casks then finished in White Burgundy Casks.

We weren't told when this will be released, how much it will be or how many bottles would be available but you can bet it'll be way above my station!

So What Did We Think?

Kat said: The initial tasting note I jotted down was  milk gum sweets! I was specifically picking up the dusty sugar coating and some wax, I think its Carnauba wax. After a little while a slightly tart rhubarb crumble note develops and there's also a umami quality too it. Again this slowly evolves as it wakes up; Almonds and bruised lemon grass, a  hint of woodiness, but fragrant and light, multi seeded toast aromas. Another complex dram.

The palate is full of soft fruits, and at last I found the strawberries everyone (particularly Dad) had been picking up. There's also red currents and raspberries. It's creamy like porridge oats with soft fruits drizzled with clear honey but very light and delicate. Once mentioned I found my Mum's fresh home-made coconut milk, but more kept coming; wax crayons, anise and a hint of lavender.  A fascinating sneak preview to a very complex Irish Single Malt Whiskey 

Dave said: A fabulously complex and constantly changing nose. It starts off soft and sweet dram with the characteristic flavours of an 'age matured malt'; Marzipan, almonds, waxed lemons, a soft gingery spice and floral notes, rose petal like hidden behind. The strawberry notes I have found in each of these four Teeling Whiskies is there too along with tinned lychee.  A cornucopia of dried tropical fruits follows; papaya, pineapple, mango and coconut. This nose is divine and could happily nose it for hours and I could immediately tell this 26 Year Old is sadly going to be way beyond my budget. 

The palate too is divine and the tropical fruit theme continues, but more of a fruit salad sweetie taste. It also packs a little more of a punch than the 21 Year Old coming across quite spicy for a little while before settling down and the fruit returns, continuing the strawberry theme too.

So what did the others think?

@champdenwhite: Wasn't expecting this: Toasty notes of the wood working with the chardonnay, almost as if it were a big fat Meursault
@MCRWhiskyClub: Nose - Apple sponge cake, a freshly sanded and waxed oak table. Beeswax candles and lots of clementine, cream and spice
@Dr4key: Nose; Explosion in a fruit warehouse, felt pens and marzipan.
@TheSmokyDram: Rocky and pebbly beach with a fine sea spray over it. Granny smith apples, marzipan, waxiness and some creamy spiciness
@HMcnee: Sweet, honey, fruit arrival delicate, mouth coating experience very different from the 21 Year Old Tastes superb!
@eimearocarroll: Palate as elegant as the nose. Sweet, floral, delicate (but with a bite). Fab example of how awesome Irish whiskey can be.
@EdinburghWhisky: Palate: Feisty for being 26 but that is no bad thing. Strawberries, fresh hay from the fields. Lovely.
@msykesjones: Palate - Wow stunning! smooth rich mouth feel, creamy on on to dried fruits, sweet honey and spice
@whiskybars: Hint of liquorice, Turkish delight, fruit crumble and rose petals. Really beautiful on the nose! So delicate, pineapple, desiccated coconut, baked raspberry tart. What a treat

And finally....

A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, Stephen Teeling and the team at @TeelingWhiskeyC and of course the tweet tasters who were:

@TheWhiskyWire @TeelingWhiskeyC @StephenTeeling @LRWhisky @EdinburghWhisky @MasterOfMalt @WhiskyDiscovery @champdenwhite @WorldWhiskyDay @HMcnee @eimearocarroll @Alpacajo @kizzsmyth @SohoWhiskyClub @WhiskyDiscovKat @msykesjones @MCRWhiskyClub @b7ryn @SteveRascal @Dr4key @irishbeersnob @thomas_speller @PWulf  @Girl_Whisky @TheSmokyDram @DH17slijterij @whiskybars

For more information see: www.thewhiskywire.com and www.teelingwhiskey.com

Slàinte! Dave