When Teeling first opened in 2015, it became Dublin’s first new whiskey distillation Since the late nineteenth century. Setting up shop in a section of the city that was once considered the global capital of mature souls, this was a brand promising to bring back a proud past. With the launch of the new “Wonders of Wood Series,” Teeling appears to have invested just as much in creating a brave new future. The line launches this month with Teeling Single Pot Still Chinkapin Oak, a one-of-a-kind fragrance that is ageless. Irish whiskey.
Similar in composition and taste to chestnut, chinkapine oak is obtained from the forests of eastern and central North America.
“When it’s used to mature whiskey, it adds the distinct spice of gingerbread and sweetness of banana bread not traditionally found in this category,” explains Alex Chasko, Teeling’s lead distiller. “There’s less vanilla than you’d expect from American oak and more earthy notes that can be found in European oak.”
These items are amplified by creating virgin casks – which are relatively rare in this part of the world. But while the barrels exist as industry extremes, the new make that goes into it is unmistakably Irish: Teeling Chinkapin Oak is three times distilled and made from a traditional pot that is still the recipe for half salted barley/half unsalted barley.
The resulting whiskey divides the difference between the old and the new world. It’s sitting somewhere inside the sweet creaminess of Irish pot and the herbs and spices of American rye.
The next series in the “Wonders of Wood” series won’t air until May 2023. Meanwhile, Teeling is making good on that initial promise to bring back a proud past; The distillery has partnered with the Tree Council of Ireland to aid in reforestation efforts across the Emerald Isle.
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