Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Very smooth and sweet. Great desk whiskey. Definitely would buy again.

Not seen at ABC

My Irish reviews are few and far between so I figured it's time to put a well known Irish whisky to the test. Teeling Small Batch is a NAS blended Irish whiskey that is finished for 6 months in ex rum barrels. 46% ABV and it is non chill filtered and as far as I know it is natural color. This one is a nice pale gold. A fairly light nose that has a sharp alcohol sting up front that fades pretty quickly. Floral honey and citrus (lemon or pomelo) were the first real notes I picked up. Soon after were notes of yellow apples and ripe green pears. Butterscotch and rum, nutmeg and toffee, all from the rum casks become apparent with some strength behind them. Light oak and vanilla follow with dry grass/hay. A touch of molasses and tobacco, with raisins and green grapes to finish it off. A very nice, although again fairly light nose. You don't have to work for the flavors, but they aren't up in your face either. Nice and relaxing. The palate was a bit of a 180. An intense and peppery arrival with oak and wood spices. Rum, butterscotch and toffee take over, but with the oak and spice always in the background, fading into a smoother experience. Vanilla and light citrus round out the dram. Light to medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel, turning dry. The finish is short and kinda falls off the table. Vanilla, oak and citrus, and very dry, like "holy cotton mouth Batman, where's my water!?" type of dry. At $35 it's hard not to like this whiskey. Other than the finish it's a solid pour. A great nose and perfect to sip on a mild spring day...like today. 65 degrees and light clouds. Works well as a mixer too with some ginger ale. If the finish was better it would get 4 stars, but as it sits it gets 3.75. Cheers.