Tastes

N: Flavors hit hard and in succession like big league fastballs. Cinnamon! Strike one! Oak! Strike two! Caramel and vanilla come in a little high and tight. Ball one and two. Menthol? Ball three. Sweet corn with ethanol heat! Strike three, you're out! P: It tastes like bourbon. That's a good thing. Sweet and spicy with some oak tannins. The usual caramel with vanilla undertones. Spice is mostly cinnamon, but has a little capsaicin lingering in the finish. Finish is also a little bitter, which feels slightly out of character, but I dig it. Ethanol heat is present, but not overwhelming. The deal with this is value. It's great for $15. You can find smoother and more complicated at about $30. So I guess this sets a standard below $30 a bottle. (You can also do much worse well above $30, so there's that.)

N: Others describing grass and hay are spot on. But there's also a sharp fruit presence behind that. It's like a sour pineapple note, not always pleasant, but kinda interesting. Other softer pear and peach notes are there too, also tinged sour. P: Fruit forward, but quickly shifts spicy. It's baked pear, hint of pie crust, then caramelized cinnamon drizzle. The cinnamon spice evolves into more of a cracked peppercorn spice and lingers over successive sips. There's a bitterness in it that feels untethered to any particular flavor and also builds up over time. Feels out of place. Mouthfeel is heavy, a bit oily, but not quite enough to call it coating. I love the idea of buying Irish whiskey (especially single pot still) made in Dublin and not a product of the Irish whiskey cartel. But this isn't quite there yet. The sourness in the nose and bitterness on the palate both feel out of place and they detract from the experience, rather than add to it. Overall, I'm not sure if it's unfinished or overdone, but it's not as good as it could be either way. Still, it's interesting and shows promise. I'll try other Teelings, but don't want this one again.

N: Lychee in fruit syrup. Seriously. Something herbal, even bordering on medicinal, in it. Citrus zest pops with a hard swirl. Ripe fruits follow, a little strawberry, pear, maybe peach. And then lychee slaps you in the face again like walking the dessert lane at a Chinese buffet. P: Fruity and crisp, yet still plenty sweet. The ripe fruits and citrus all kinda get thrown in a blender. Maybe one lychee on top for good measure, but more subdued on the palate. There's an indistinct yeasty, bready flavor that shifts to a light spice finish that's somewhere between cinnamon and ginger. Slick, coating, slightly oily mouthfeel. And a lingering bitterness that's almost hop-like, but also gives that tannic pucker in the cheeks. Do you know that moment before the orchestra starts playing and all the musicians are warming up, playing their own notes, and then the conductor signals and those disparate tunes merge into one cohesive sound? This is like that, but with no conductor to give the signal, so it's dissonance on repeat. Honestly, that's not so bad - interesting things happen - but it's not so good either. It's no symphony. Worth the adventure if you like it fruity.

N: Smoke and leather, orchard fruit and stone fruit. Faint nuttiness, almond or walnut. Dried strawberries, occasionally. Maybe imagining it, but I feel like there's a bit of sea spray in there too. Overall effect is like watching a beach bonfire from afar - close enough to feel the smoke, but far enough away that the smoke doesn't overpower what's kicked up from the surf. P: Honey, white tea, and sweet orchard fruit hit first. That's promptly and rudely kicked out by a powerful cinnamon and anise spice finish that starts very early. Spice borders on capsaicin. Would like the softer flavors to stick around a bit longer. Salted caramel pops in and out through the spice on successive sips. Mouthfeel is big, oily and salty with some bitterness and a little tannic pucker. This is not the easiest whisky to drink. Gotta be patient and curious, and then really take your time with it. Feels like the kind of bottle you buy one out of each biannual release and then hold and drink slowly over time, when the mood is right, which is probably not very often.

N: Vanilla cream with peaches and pears. Some more tropical (mango) and floral scents emerge, maybe even a hint of banana. As it opens, a cereal note blends in with the fruit and kinda comes across as Fruit Loops, just subtler. Fun. Light ethanol seems ever-present - not enough to numb you, but can't escape it either. P: Cold (menthol?) stone fruit drops on you first. Then it gets supple and oily - like mixing whipped cream and olive or peanut oil (texture, not flavor), and yet somehow it works. There's a salty bread in there too. The fruit moves toward tropical and soft, ripe pear over time. Spices build through the pour: cinnamon early, moving to black pepper for sec, then settling at mild chili pepper. And that finish lingers for quite some time. I threw one ice cube at it (as I do almost always) and I think, more than most whiskeys, this evolved as it warmed and diluted. Worth trying that. I think there are slightly better, more complicated Irish single pot still whiskeys out there, but barely. A fascinating dram on the whole.

N: Orange blossoms and honey. Almond, lemon, and a little peat smoke. P: Citrus, chocolate, almond, vanilla extract, plus another vague nuttiness. Slight bitterness, coffee-like. Finish is spicy like a Mexican hot chocolate - cinnamon plus a little chili pepper bite. Doesn't last long, but that just makes it easier to go back for more. Smooth and mild mannered, but presenting a delicate balance of flavors. Exceptionally polished. This is quiet, but fantastic once you start to hear it.

N: Huge hit of fresh green apples first and throughout. Then some citrus and a faint, sweet black licorice. Some cereal. Is there a green apple Pop-Tart? This suggests maybe there should be. Further distinguishable sweet, bready, green apple notes arrive eventually. Did I mention green apples? P: Apple moves to the background as the malt flavors move forward. Toasted cereal with tannins, sugary sweet syrup and pancakes (but no maple), slivered almonds on a dry flour cookie... now mixed with the ever present green apple. Cinnamon and black licorice spice finish. Not long, but long enough. Oily and heavy mouthfeel. Hint of bitterness. This is a beast that wears apple blossoms in its lapel. The mix of fruit, malt, spice, and the slickness on the tongue is really something. Feels truly unique. Doubt I'd want it every day, but worth an occasional repeat.

N: A bit spicy early on, allspice and cinnamon. Sweet corn and floral notes. Cinnamon raisin bread. Boozy spearmint. P: Sweet and oaky. Almost gets to cornbread, but the oak and spice overpower the malt too soon. Heavy coating of caramel. Rich mouthfeel with a mild bitterness. Some tannic kick. Cinnamon and mint on the finish, which is medium length, but satisfying. Feels just barely under developed. You can see good bones, but the parts are greater than the sum in the end.

Pulled a dusty bottle off the shelf, thought unmalted wheat sounded interesting, and took a chance. Label says this was bottled in December, 2014, so it's probably aged in the bottle longer than a barrel. Also nearly 120 proof (59.75 ABV), so probably differs from the pro review. Seems to have aged well over the last 5+ years on the shelf at one of my favorite liquor stores. Nose has sweet fruit candy, like a Jolly Rancher, but not as aggressively sweet. Some sweet, almost tropical, floral notes as well. Honey and white bread float in the background. A bit thick on the palate, coating almost. Sweet, but well balanced with rye spice. Honey drizzled pear and peach with a dab of sweet cream. Sweet breads in the middle. Spicier and longer than expected finish, lots of rye with a pleasant bit of alcohol burn. A charmer, in some ways. I have to wonder how many thousands of people passed this over in the last 5 1/2 years. It's an oddball, in many ways, but I dig it. And I dig the story of it. There were maybe 8 more bottles on the shelf, so maybe you can find it at some much loved, but poorly rotated liquor store where you are. I'm sure I'll return to that shelf and consider grabbing one of those remaining bottles many times over the next few months...