Teeling 15yo Single Grain Sauvignon Blanc Cask

Teeling 15yo Single Grain Sauvignon Blanc Cask

Teeling bottler
Single malt
Pale copper
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: White wine, vanilla, popcorn, golden syrup, photocopy paper, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pear drops, vanilla, popcorn, nutmeg, white grapes, white wine, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. Pear drops, vanilla, popcorn, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

Sweet sour, lots of estery notes, with fruit and grain. Quite well spiced, cinnamon and nutmeg abound. The white wine cask is quite prominent. I don’t think this is from Teeling distillery itself, it’s just a little too old.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling 18yo Renaissance Series No 2 (Australian Shiraz Cask)

Teeling 18yo Renaissance Series No 2 (Australian Shiraz Cask)

Renaissance Series, Teeling
Single malt - unknown
Amber pink
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry laces, raisins, blueberries, sandalwood, cinnamon, cornflakes. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, warm, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, black pepper, raisins, strawberry laces, cinnamon, oatcakes, hints of sourdough bread. 
Finish: Medium. Cinnamon, sandalwood, orange peel, raisins. 

Comments: 

Probably Cooley, but it’s not online and I don’t know for sure. Heavily influenced by the wine cask finish of course, but it’s not unpleasant at all. Lots of sweet jammy wintery spices, alongside some sweet cereal. A warning dram for cold spring evenings.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Brabazon #1

Teeling Brabazon #1

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Ireland
Bright gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hazelnuts, chocolate, burnt cinnamon, brown sugar, hints of plum jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, sticky, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marmalade, plum jam, honey, chocolate, burnt cinnamon, hints of nutmeg. 
Finish: Long. Burnt cinnamon, chocolate, allspice, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

This set of Teeling's releases (from their existing stock - fairly sure this is Cooley) is meant to showcase the virtues of cask finishing. This one is a blend of several sherry casked whiskies. The sweet jammy notes are classic sherry, of course, and there's spice as well. It's all rather sickly, I'm afraid, although I enjoyed it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Revival Vol IV 15yo (Muscat Barrels)

Teeling Revival Vol IV 15yo (Muscat Barrels)

Revival, Teeling
Single malt - Unknown
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pumpkin, lemon zest, vanilla, coffee, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, loosens, turns slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, caramel, coffee, white grapes, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, pumpkin, white grapes, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Now, I guess this is Cooley, but honestly, it's quite hard to tell. So, down into the 'Unknown' category it goes. This one has pumpkin, maybe even pumpkin pie, plenty of raisins, lemon and vanilla. It's quite delicious and I really enjoyed it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Teeling 24yo Sauternes & Bourbon Casks (bottled 08/17)

Teeling 24yo Sauternes & Bourbon Casks (bottled 08/17)

Vintage Reserve, Teeling
Single malt - Northern Ireland
Dark gold
46% ABV
Teeny taste

Nose: Plums, prunes, raisins, peaches, leather, dragon fruit, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, airy, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, cooked bananas, prunes, peach preserves, peat, hints of slivovitz. 
Finish: Short. Peach preserves, green tea, white grapes, prunes. 

Comments: 

Supposedly sourced from Bushmills. This is slightly peated, and it offsets the Sauternes sweetness. There's plenty of plums, fresh dried, even distilled, but there's also a leathery, cooked fruit note that must be the peat. A pleasant little taste.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Revival Vol V 12yo

Teeling Revival Vol V 12yo

Teeling Reserves
Single malt - Central Ireland
Silvery bronze
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, apple skins, boiled peanuts, petrichor, raisins, autumn leaves. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, mouth coating, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Marzipan, autumn leaves, vanilla sponge, apple juice, hints of green tea. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, petrichor, autumn leaves, apple juice, hints of marzipan. 

Comments: 

Another Teeling release from their stocks of Cooley. This one is earthy and appley, not overly sweet. There's a lot of complexity here, many dimensions of flavours that I did not expect to find in an Irish whisky. Nice stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Single Grain 2006/2016

Teeling Single Grain 2006/2016

Teeling Reserves, Teeling
Single grain - Cooley
Straw
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, coconuts, pear drops, vanilla, orange, cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Coconuts, cinnamon, pear drops, vanilla, orange peel, hints of salt caramel. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, salt caramel, coconuts, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Cooley spirit, finished in red wine casks. There's not much red fruits (which is maybe not one might expect). Instead, there's typical grain whiskey notes of coconut and vanilla, but these are smoothed over and muted, and blend well into notes such as pear drops and salt caramel, which are perhaps more typical of malt. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Small Batch 09/15

Teeling Small Batch 09/15

Teeling
Blended malt
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toasted coconut, honey, photocopy paper, milk chocolate, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, oily, thick. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Fresh baked bread, toasted coconut, honey, coffee, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Honey, coffee, fresh baked bread, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

Matured in rum casks. It's got wonderful toasty notes, something like dry-toasted coconut in a frying pan, on the nose. Once in the tongue, this morphs into fresh baked bread, while all the time producing a great hit of honey and coffee. Very nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Teeling Single Malt (2014)

Teeling Single Malt (2014)

Teeling Reserves, Teeling
Single malt - Unknown
Sunshine yellow
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish, lemon juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, loose, watery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Milk, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, cream, vanilla. 
Finish: Long. Cream, lemon zest, apples. 

Comments: 

This is probably Cooley spirit, but I can't tell from a quick Google. It's fruity and complex like Cooley though, and is a good stand-in until the Teeling distillery malt is old enough. It's bold and brassy, almost Rosebank-ey, and rather refreshing.

Verdict:

I like this.

Teeling Silver Reserve 21 yo 1991

Teeling Silver Reserve 21 yo 1991

Teeling Reserves, Teeling
Single malt - Unknown
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, toffee, lemon zest, black tea, mint, hints of dark chocolate, hints of plums. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, astringent, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toffee, red grapes, coffee, dark chocolate, leather, hints of mint. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, coffee, dark chocolate, hints of brass polish. 

Comments: 

Unknown spirit, some people think it's Bushmills. Well, wherever it's from, it's heavily wine finished, like red grapes and plum pudding all mixed together. Very good, not too eggy, light and fragrant. Good Irish whiskey, this was apparently aged in Sauternes casks.

Verdict:

I like this.