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Teeling Single Grain Whiskey
Single Grain — Ireland
Reviewed
May 26, 2021 (edited July 11, 2022)
Nose: Butterscotch pudding, vanilla, crème caramel, baked banana, cloves.
Palate: A sweet and spicy arrival with flavours of wood-shavings in the background. Caramel, vanilla ... mountains of vanilla, bright tannic spices. Dark chocolate, butter and brown sugar. The texture is less oily than I remember from a couple of years back, but still OK.
Finish: Medium/short. Spicy/sweet cereal with a mint touch. A little peppery tannin in the background.
I enjoyed this single grain whisky the last time I tasted it and again it has not disappointed, but the profile has shifted a little. In previous years it was creamier, more buttery and heavy on the palate. This time round (batch L20 004 016 / April 2020) I noticed more aggressive spice notes and some astringent tannin.
However it is still a good dram, and very honest in its presentation (un-coloured, non-chill filtered, 46%). There is a facet to it that is very bourbon-like. Imagine a lean bourbon with a light fruity and woody character. The familiar notes you expect from a bourbon are all there but in a slightly different form.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that this is almost addictive when mixed with Coke as a long drink. For those of you who enjoy a bourbon and cola but always find it just a touch too sweet, try this. The tannins and the wine finish balance the sweetness to perfection.
When used as a mixer, and in comparison to blended scotch of the same price, I’d rate this as 85/100. However considering it in the broader context I’m giving it slightly less (and the official rating of 92 seems very over the top). This is worth somewhere in the low-to-mid 80s.
“Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)
75.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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I've been curious about this one for single grain representation on the shelf, with natural color and NCF a bonus. I don't really know of many others though...
'Five will get you ten,' they've been using refill barrels more often, at least for a part of the aging process.