Impression // Christmas with Teeling and Spirits in the Box 2020

Early November, I attended the digital replacement event for “Spirits in the Sky”, named “Spirits in the Box”. Being an inconceivable traditionalist, I chose for the Teeling tasting set. In that way, I could say hi to Chris Hayes, Teeling brand ambassador-extra-ordinaire (he speaks French AND English).
A couple of days ago, I attended a digital “Christmas with Teeling” tasting session. The following are my notes of the various expressions we tasted during both sessions. Enjoy!

Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Teeling

Single Pot Still

If you haven’t had the chance to taste the Single Pot Still expression (46%), I suggest you just call your nearest whisky shop, ask them to put it aside, and go buy it at your earliest convenience. This whiskey is possibly the corner stone of the brand, and it’s incredibly accessible while at the same time still rewarding for more experienced whisky enthusiasts looking for something more.

In the nose, there are only slight hints of alcohol, but plenty of citrus and grape. I also picked up on stewed fruits and honey. The dram offers up a lovely oily mouthfeel, and the palate consists of a blend of sweet tropical fruits and flavors of spices, pepper, and peaches.

Teeling Distillery Exclusive 2020 (Virgin Irish Oak)

The Distillery Exclusive release of 2020 is a follow-up to the Chinkapin Oak release of last year. With barely 300 bottles available, this expression sold out almost instantly. All of the profits were fully donated to charities supporting the Irish Front Line Heroes battling Covid 19.

This expression was matured for 6 years on 1st and 2nd fill bourbon casks, and had an additional maturation of less than a year on Irish Virgin Oak. With an ABV of 48.5%, this release is a bit stronger than regular Teeling releases, and it is even a bit noticeable in the nose.

This whiskey opens up with a sharper scent, which is ‘brighter’ than usual. It is followed by sweeter notes, and becomes more fruity as it develops. There are also sweets present in the blend of scents, and I think I detected wood notes in there too.

On the palate, this expression surprised by being more spicy than expected. It is warming, at times it even packs a bit of heat, but is not peppery. Spices are the dominant flavors here, like you have dropped a bag of a spice blend on your counter and it just went ‘pooffff’.

The finish is very dry and medium tot long, with the wood notes coming back to seal the deal. This is definitely a sharper expression, which I would call a bit more ‘daring’. There’s an edge to this, and I like it.

Blackpitts Peated Single Malt

Perhaps one of the most anticipated core range releases from Teeling in years, this peated single malt does not disappoint. Teeling’s first peated whiskey is triple distilled, about 4 years old, and matured in both ex-bourbon (2/3) and Sauternes casks (1/3). This expression is named after the old Blackpitts area behind the distillery, and has a very close link to the history of the immediate surroundings of the distillery. The peat, however, comes from the Speyside region in Scotland.

At 46% ABV, the whiskey needs to open up a bit first. After it has been in your glass for a bit, the first scent that is noticeable is sweet, but it is quickly followed by BBQ charcoal, and even a bit of malt. There’s even a bit of salt in there. All in all not that peated, but light and delicate in nature. After triple distillation, the original 55 ppm is reduced to 15 ppm.

The flavors continue in the same way as the scents, but move towards a playful sweet and savory note, mixed with light smoke, red fruits, and a ‘dark’ element that I figured out after a while: soot. It is rather soft and liquid-y in texture, and the finish is on the ‘shorter side’. You could describe it as ‘peated whisky for non-peated drinkers’, but it would be safe to say that this is more of an Irish twist on a peated single malt.

Renaissance Series 2

I also tasted the second release in the Renaissance series, the follow-up to the Teeling Revival range. This expression was first matured on ex-bourbon casks, followed up a couple of months of extra maturation in Australian Shiraz wine casks, bringing the age of this single malt to 18 years old, bottled at 46% ABV. Note that this expression is still part of the old family reserve, which means that with this expression, the history of Teeling and the current methods of production and maturation are married together.

In the nose, a warming, sweet sensation, which moves more towards malt (toast) as it goes along. There’s grandma’s apple sauce, some orange juice, and sweet red fruits. A combination of scents that is very inviting and rewarding from the start.

The palate moves more towards woodier and drier notes, with sweet red fruits and tangy berries as main contenders. There’s also a more mellow layer that counters the tanginess beautifully. As a final note, the tannins from the Shiraz take over.

This expression is a little bit more liquid-y, which makes the spirit evaporate a little quicker than usual. There are notes of oranges and mandarins in the finish, which leaves a warm sensation in the cheeks. Truly a next level whiskey.

Brabazon 4 (pre-release)

During the Spirits in the Box tasting session, we were able to have a sneak-sniff’n’sip of the next release in the acclaimed Brabazon series, Brabazon 4. This expression, aged for 13 years on Carcavelos White Port will have an ABV of 49.%. The sample we tasted, however, was in between 56% and 57% ABV. A cask strength. Oh yes.

This expression offers scents of red apples (a running theme, it seems), with additional red fruits and a drier note too. The palate is generally warming, and starts to simmer as the whiskey spreads itself around in your mouth. A tingling sensation travels up the nose, but everything stays beautifully balanced and rounded out. The finish for this expression was medium-long and allows you to ‘chew’ on the whiskey a bit longer.

Exclusive Releases for The Nectar

One of the best aspects of attending Teeling tastings organized by The Nectar, is that chances are high you’ll be tasting limited bottlings selected by the best noses at the company. During the Spirits in the Box tasting session, we were offered two samples of exclusive releases, both single casks, and therefore very limited in availability.

1) The Nectar Single Cask (2000)

I tasted a Teeling single cask release, distilled in 2000, which only yielded 186 bottles. At 55.6% ABV, this whiskey offered scents of butter cake, green bananas, then moving towards cane sugar, and hints of vanilla extract.

On the palate, flavors were a bit more tangy than expected, like a dry white wine. There were spices, and the general flavor pattern could be described the best as ‘light’ and ‘dry’. The finish was short, but straightforward.

2) The Nectar ‘Spirits in the Sky’ Single Cask (1991 Rum Cask Finish)

The second exclusive release was distilled in 1991 and received a rum cask finish. With only 164 bottles available, this is an even more limited release than the Single Cask from 2000.

Compared to the other release, the nose of this whiskey is ‘greener’, more grassy even. On the palate, a blend of fresh flavors and tropical fruits, light, delicately sweet, with a hint of malts and bread. The finish is softer, with notes of green grapes as an afterthought, paired nicely with a little bit of dryness.

Christmas with Teeling

I almost forgot to add that during the second Teeling tasting I attended, we did paired the Pot Still, Blackpitts, and Renaissance 2 with artisanal Belgian chocolates from Coup de chocolat, a Belgian brand that focuses on high-quality small batch chocolates. To impress us even further, the transport of the cocoa beans is completely CO2-free, as it is done by cycling and sailing the high seas. Check out their website here.

Finally, Chris also showed us how to make a proper Irish coffee, which is almost synonymous with the holiday season. I have taken the liberty of including the recipe for this, as well as the instructions to make the stout syrup that accompanies it. Happy Christmas everyone!

Ingredients

For the Irish Coffee

• 1 1/2 oz. Feeling Small Batch Whiskey

• 4 oz freshly brewed, robust coffee

• 1/2 oz Spiced Stout Syrup (recipe below)

• Orange zested cream

For the Spiced Stout Syrup

• 2 pints (32 oz.) Irish stout (Guinness or similar)

• 4 cups demerara sugar

• 1/2 cup whole cloves

• 1/2 cup pimento/allspice

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 1 whole orange zest

• 2-inches fresh ginger, grated

• Pinch of salt

• 3 whole star anise pods

Preparation

For the Irish Coffee

• 1 Preheat glass with some warm water and discard, add the Teeling Whiskey, stout syrup, brewed coffee and stir to combine.

• 2 Warm a large spoon and gently pour the cream over the back of the spoon and onto the coffee.

For the Spiced Stout Syrup

• 1 Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the simmer, allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes

• 2 Strain through a fine sieve and cheesecloth and bottle. Keeps for 2 weeks refrigerated.