Teeling Distillery Exclusive on Virgin Oak cask
Having visited Teeling Distillery on my birthday a few years ago will be a core memory for a lifetime. I enjoyed seeing the whole operation, even though it was silent season at that moment. I did bottle my own Distillery Exclusive. Recently, I got my hands on a very different distillery only expression, that was probably distilled by the current setup. Let’s have a look!
Teeling 5 years old, hand bottled at the distillery at 64,1 % abv
First things first: This Teeling Distillery Exclusive matured in an American Virgin Oak cask carrying the number 26499. It was distilled on 2 September 2015, making this not a sourced whiskey but actually made in Dublin. My sample was bottled in 2021.
Upon Sipping: At this incredible strength, we have to play with this Teeling a lot. Just waving it under my nose already gives off a promising fruitiness. That is good! I took a little sip on the tongue. It can actually be done, but of course the alcohol bites your head off. Still, nice fruity oak, not just wood shavings but a lot of malty vanilla. Let’s move to the pipet. Well, I have to say, there is nothing wrong with this stuff. Yes, it is young, and yes there is a lot of wood, but there is a balanced fruity layer underneath that makes it entertaining. On repeated sniffing the wood note grows bigger, with sawdust in the summer air, but well contained. The taste has lost some of its charm when diluted. Here we notice the liquid is still quite young, and now the oak is too dominant. As it stands, I am sure this single cask will work as a good fruit injection into a blend for, for instance, the Small Batch releases by Teeling.
Word to the Wise: Very young but promising and nice to drink. Quite promising. Should Teeling not release their first 10 years old this year?
Score: 82 points.