Teeling Small Batch Review



“ To Be Young, Simple and Hot” 

Whisky Review # 814

Country: Ireland
Brand: Teeling Small Batch (Bottled December 2017)
Bottled by: Teeling Whiskey Company, Newmarket, Dublin
Type: Blended Irish Whiskey
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Bourbon Casks (First Fill & Refill) with a Six Months Rum Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: Around US$ 35-50 (May 2019)
Buying Advice: 😐Young, Simple and Hot. Good P/Q ratio at around US$ 35. 

Colour:

Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Light, Young and Sweet. A few Sour and Bitter notes as well. Green, Fruity and Grassy tones. The Grain Alcohol is quite noticeable. A bit on the Dry side.

Main Aromas:

Malted Cereals, Cake and Cream, Vanilla, Fresh Herbs, Warm Apple-Pie with a dollop of Cinnamon, Grass and Green Vegetables, Sour Berries, Orange, Raisins and a bit of Nutmeg.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Caramel, Honey, Pear, Lemon, Nuts, Fresh Oak, White Chocolate, Dusty Track and some Sour Cherries.

Image result for teeling whiskey distillery stills

Palate:

Light and Young. The Grain Alcohol remains quite noticeable. On the Palate I find a mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. Again, quite Green and Grassy.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Apple, Pear, Grass, Green Vegetables, Straw, Orange, Lemon, Raisins, Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey-Melon, Unripe Bananas, Herbal Tea, Nectarine, White Chocolate, Young Rum and Licorice.

Finish:

Young, Short, Bitter-Sweet, Sour and a little Hot. Quite Dry towards the end. Green and Grassy notes remain in the lead. The Alcohol does spoil a bit of the fun. I find Toasted Cereals, Yeast, Caramel, Honey, Grass & Green Vegetables, Straw, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Charred Oak and Nectarines. Despite its Youth, it presents a mild Creaminess.

Drinking Advice:

I added a few drops of Water and the Alcohol retreats which is good. Fruity and Malty this way. A bit of Butter as well. The Nose becomes quite Thin though. Palate and Finish become respectively Thin and almost Non-Existent. Like young Rum or Tequila almost. Better sip it neat although you might consider adding a few drops before Nosing.

Rating: 80

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Light but Good

Conclusion:

In 1989, John Teeling started the Cooley Distillery together with his sons Jack and Stephen. John sold the distillery in 2011 to Beam-Suntory. Part of the agreement was that Teeling retained 16.000 casks of ageing Cooley Whiskey. In 2012, Jack and Stephen founded Teeling Whiskey Company, bottling the Cooley casks under the Teeling label. Subsequently they founded a new distillery in the year 2015 in Dublin but also continue to bottle the sourced Cooley casks that have aged sufficiently.

The Teeling Small Batch is a Blend of around 35% Malt Whiskey and 65% Grain Whiskey. It's a NAS expression but it's said to be at least 5 Years old. I must admit I like the Teeling policy. Good ABV, Natural Colour and Non Chill-Filtered. I would almost say that in this case the ABV is a tad too high for the Young and Underdeveloped Spirit. If you can buy it at around 35 US Dollars, the P/Q ratio is quite okay. Don't expect heaven though as the Grain Alcohol rules big time. But if you like a Young, Grassy, Green and slightly Rough Irish Whiskey you should be okay at this Price-Level. Personally I think it's too Young, Edgy and Simple to consider as a sipping Whiskey but it's okay on the Rocks and that's how I'm going to finish the 1 liter bottle I bought at the Travel Retail Shop at Sao Paulo Airport.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                     May 1, 2019

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