Becoming an international classic does not come easy. The Teeling family of Ireland has been making small batch Irish Whiskey for 125 years–and I think they’ve gotten the hang of it by now. Their modus operandi for making this serious 46% alcohol whiskey is unique:
- Two whiskeys, 1 part pot-distilled malted barley whiskey and 3 parts column-distilled corn whiskey are aged separately at a ratio of 3.1 in ex-bourbon barrels.
- Next step, they add a unique spirit cask into the flavour equation.
- Both whiskeys are then blended in small batches and finished in personally selected, Central American rum casks where they have time to mingle, co-habit and marry.
The barrels have had a long history and have been used for many different whiskies. Some folks might say, a cask is a cask is a cask. Why be so meticulous? No two handmade barrels are exactly alike, and with age and use, the flavours they impart are different. After a full year, this richness and the smooth and sweet approachable taste come to fruition. On bottling, each batch number is listed on the label. Once a batch has been sold, there will never be more.
The moment of truth: ice cubes in a glass and 2 oz. of Teeling.
By the third sip, we have recognized all the flavour nuances: a clear and bright taste, a rum raisin nose, a Minuka honey sweetness with a tingle of spice, smooth rich vanilla, fruity and a little woody taste.
Teeling was made to be enjoyed neat, until bartenders began to experiment and put it into cocktails. Some purists will have it neat with a pint of stout. Still, it does make an interesting Margarita, or mixed with a tropical theme of pineapple and coconut, which is tied in with the rum cask.
My favorite on a relaxing summer weekend is the Dublin Mule.
Dublin Mule
Glass or copper mug
Fill with ice right to the top.
1 ½ oz. of Teeling
Top off with Fevertree Ginger Beer
A squeeze with a lime
stir
Teeling Irish Coffee
35 ml Teeling Small Batch
120 ml Freshly Brewed Coffee
25 ml Spiced Stout Syrup
Double Cream
Step 1: Start by adding 1 part Stout (500ml) to a pan and heat at medium high until it begins to bubble, stir consistently, until the volume decreases by half.
Step 2: Add spices (teaspoon of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, anise, ginger, or/and orange peel and a pinch of salt) and continue to stir.
Step 3: Finally add your rich dark demerara sugar (500g) to the mix and stir until dissolved.
Step 4: Allow to cool.
Step 5: add to hot coffee
Step 6: top with Double Cream
Teeling Whiskey Sour
50ml Teeling Small Batch
15ml Honey syrup
30ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
5ml Apricot brandy
½ an egg white
Step 1: Chill a rocks glass with ice
Step 2: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker
Step 3: Shake until chilled and fine strain over ice
“May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you’re dead!” – An old Irish toast.
