Teeling Distillery Exclusive Chestnut Finish

By law Irish whiskey must be subject to maturation for at least three years in wooden casks, such as oak. This leaves some room for experimentation with different types of wood, and Teeling have done just that with this whiskey. Chestnut, which is more porous than oak, is not all that common but I believe that for this expression Teeling have taken the base spirit of their Small Batch whiskey (a malt and grain blend aged between 4 to 6 years in oak) and applied a chestnut finish for 6 to 12 months. Even more, the chestnut casks previously held PX Brandy. An interesting concoction but (for me) ultimately a failed experiment. The chestnut is obvious on the nose, along with some maple syrup as others have noted. The taste carries wood spice but I found it too bitter and sour. Still, it’s good to see them aim for something noteworthy and unique but fall short than try for something blandly popular and succeed.

The nose jumps out of the glass with strong fig, dried apricots, dates, real maple syrup, and funny enough roasted chestnuts. Not a lot of the traditional Irish notes I was used too but could still place it as an Irish with the amount of rich butter. The taste gives you everything in the nose but the amazing butteriness, shortbread, cream, and little bit of spice that comes with Teeling. There are a couple flavors that are distinct but I still can’t place. Finish is long and unfolding more of the dark fruit and nutty notes.