How to Pair Teeling Irish Whiskey with Song

Teeling Irish Whiskey is causing a stir in the Irish whiskey category, and rightly so. Established in 2012, it is the first new distillery to be built in Dublin for 125 years and it is producing high quality Irish whiskey using various cask finishes.

Teeling Irish Whiskey

Teeling Whiskey officially launched in Sydney at a trade event held at The Wild Rover with Brand Ambassador Martin Lynch. After a refreshing Teeling Single Grain Whiskey and fresh apple juice, it was down to wearing Teeling caps for a tasting like no other. Four whiskeys and one spirit that cannot be called whiskey were on taste, each paired with an Irish song.

Teeling Irish Whiskey with Martin Lynch

Teeling produces whiskeys that are all non-chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV. To be called Irish whiskey, the spirit needs to be aged in Ireland for a minimum of 3 years and one day, the extra day, Martin Lynch explains is “to be sure, to be sure”.

Teeling whiskeys stands up well in cocktails and are used in prominent bars around the world such as the Dead Rabbit in NYC.

Below are our tasting notes of the exciting range that is now available in Australia.

Teeling Single Grain Whiskey

Teeling Single Grain Whiskey is made from maize/corn and matured for 6 years exclusively in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon casks. The whisky is distilled in a column still and has been awarded World’s Best Grain at the World Whiskies Awards in 2014.

Golden amber in colour, the nose is a blend of fruit and spice with some underlying sweetness. The palate is luscious with red berries, soft orchard fruit with soft tannins. The finish is medium and dry with hints of oak and spice. It is referred to as a breakfast whiskey yet it is not one that is light on flavour.

Teeling Single Grain Whiskey is paired with U2’s Desire because it always leaves you wanting a little more.

Teeling Small Batch Whiskey

Teeling Small Batch Whiskey is the flagship product of the brand and offers a more familiar style of Irish whiskey that the Single Grain. This small batch bottling is aged in ex bourbon casks the finished in ex Flor de Cana rum for 6 months as the sweet molasses of the rum are complementary to the flavour of the Irish whiskey.

Amber in colour, it has a sweet aromas with vanilla and some spice. The palate is very smooth with more body and viscosity than the Single Grain with notes of sweet spice and berries finishing on sweet and smooth notes. The finish is medium to long and makes for some fine sipping and mixing in drinks.

Teeling Small Batch Whiskey is paired with Whiskey in a Jar by Thin Lizzy because it’s a rebel and differs from mainstream Irish whiskies.

Teeling Single Malt Whiskey

Teeling Single Malt Whiskey is newly-released in Australia and made from 100% malted barley aged in 5 different barrels: sherry, port, madeira, white burgundy and cabernet sauvignon. The whiskey is produced from from a range of different ages including malt whiskey distilled in 1991.

Golden in colour, the nose is vibrant with vanilla, spice and dried fruit while the palate is rich with spice, peppery sweetness and dried fruits and toffee. The finish is long, dry and a balance of fine tannins and sweetness.

Teeling Single Malt Whiskey is paired with U2’s Beautiful Day as it is a new day for Irish single malt whiskey.

Teeling 21yo Single Malt Whiskey

Teeling 21yo Single Malt Whiskey is rare in the sense that one does not often find Irish whiskey of that age. The single malt has a very small percentage of peated malt and is aged for 20 years in ex bourbon casks then one year in Sauternes casks.

Dark copper in the glass, the nose is redolent with smoky bacon. The palate is full bodied, meaty, smoky, salty with a balance of fruit such as apricots along with honey sweetness. The finish is long and mellow with a satisfying oaky and chewy mouthfeel. This is superb whiskey to sip on at the end of the night in special company.

Teeling 21yo Single Malt Whiskey is paired with The Dubliners Dirty Old Town.

Teeling Poitín

Pronounced potcheen, Poitín is has been distilled in Ireland long before Irish whiskey. Meaning “small pot”, the spirit which cannot be called whiskey as it is not aged comes in at a whopping 61.5%. In essence, it is a new age spirit that was banned in 1661 and has been given a revival. Teeling Poitín is made of 80% double distilled corn spirit in column stills and 20% triple distilled malted barley in copper pot stills.

Crystal clear in the glass, the nose is what you’d expect from a new make spirit, floral, raw, estery with hints of acetone. The palate is raw with a balance of grain and cereal flavours, some raisins and a short, sharp finish.

The Irish drink Poitín straight up with a little water and it can also be used in cocktails where white spirits are used such as the Poitin Bloody Mary.

Poitin is paired with The Original Wild Rover by The Pogues.

The launch of Teeling Irish Whiskey was held in Sydney at The Wild Rover on Tuesday 18 August 2015.

Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.