This is also reflected in abundance with our friends across the Irish Sea, with such names as Power, Jameson and more recently Crockett.
But one name and its family that have been tenaciously trailblazing through the generations since the 1700’s to this very day, is that of Teeling.
From Walter Teeling who opened a distillery in Dublin in 1782, John Teeling who founded the iconic Cooley Distillery in 1987 and Jack Teeling who set up the independent bottler (soon to be distiller) Teeling Whiskey Co in 2012, this is a family that well and truly knows a thing or two about whiskey.
Before we even begin to look forward with what we can expect from this latest family endeavour on the distilling front, we should still be celebrating and exploring what has been released and indeed what will still be released with regards to their independent bottling’s.
Since the launch of their inaugural Hybrid Malt in 2012, they have continued to ride on their well-earned place on the Irish whiskey renaissance wave, with such dramspanking dramming ditty’s as their Small Batch blended whiskey and their totally sublime Single Grain offering.
As part of our Twitter trending (4th in the UK) Teeling Tweet Tasting back in December 2013, we were treated to a couple of real gems in the form of a duo of single malts. One of which was their Silver Reserve 21 Year Old, which quite comfortably managed to slip into my top five drams of the year.
The nose kicks off with a full on green fruit fest of granny smith apples, grapes, and gooseberries. Then it continues to deliver your five a day (then some) with baked pears, grilled pineapple, papaya and a flirtatious flounce of lemon balm.
Damp grass, rose water and beeswax make for the next set of nasal niceties, along with a ground of white pepper, toasted walnuts and a wedge of bread pudding. Followed by pieces of white Toblerone and a teasing, earthy, smoky, mentholly freshness.
The palate kicks off almost trying to rival the nose with its fruity frolics, dishing up barbecue smoked pineapple rings, vanilla infused poached pears, freshly sliced mango, dried apricots, pink grapefruit and white grape juice in abundance.
Spiced honey and a jar of Tiptree quince jelly continue the plethora of palatable pleasures, along with fingers of white chocolate Kit Kat, a good ground of black pepper, smoke from a mild cigar and a deluge of distinct and delectable influences from the Sauternes cask from which this particular drop of drammage was finished.
This 21 Year Old stunner then continues to flirt and flout its wares through its finish, which is as sumptuous, sticky and smoky as it is lush, long and lingering.
Psst! I did mention above that there were two Teeling single malts, and indeed there are. Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of months for their 26 Year Old Gold Reserve. Having already been very fortunate in sampling it, all I’m saying at this stage is that it’s a dram worthy of its own fanfare!
