So given our restrictions in reviewing (we don’t know what they are tbh), we have this whiskey which is really more like a rum, simply because it’d been aged heavily by the process, and that matters. Teeling isn’t a typical whiskey, having been aged in rum casks, but we do have some thoughts on it.
Most of those contribute to the fact that this whiskey is a unique wonder, and that like other things we’ve had which are rum casked, this is certainly non-standard and therefore has a unique role to play in regards to the whiskey it tries to play.
What they Say: “Since 1782 the Teeling family have been crafting Irish Whiskey. The Teeling’s are renowned for their vision in doing things differently and their Whiskeys embody this entrepreneurial spirit. This small batch bottling consists of hand-selected casks which are given a further 6 months maturation in Ex-Rum barrels imparting an extra sweet and smooth flavor unique to Irish Whiskey. By bottling at 46% with no chill filtration completes an Irish Whiskey of true character. Teeling Whiskey – Dare to be Different.”
Taste: 6.0 – It’s sweet and wood, but even here that rum casking can’t hide. It weirdly because of this is hard to judge against other whiskeys.
Aftertaste: 6.0 – You can certainly tell where the rum barrels come into play in the aftertaste. It gives instead of the weak-willed yet distinctive Irish whiskey aftertaste a mellow caramel filled rum to taste. Enjoyable and yet wrong.
Burn/Smooth: 4.0 – There is a bit more burn, and length to that burn than you would generally accept for a whiskey.
Aroma: 6.5 – It’s light and nowhere near overpowering in flavor, but what you get is nice, short, and sweet. Overall it does above average but fails to skyrocket into greatness.
Honesty: 7.0 – Their text isn’t superfluous, and their dare to be different fails to ring hollow given how weird the rum makes this. The blacked out bottle and design are actually spot on, and overall it’s a safe bet here for honesty.
Mixability: 5.67
W/ Rocks: 4.5 – You get WAY too much of the rum flavoring here. This on ice almost stops being a whiskey. Sure the burn is gone, but honestly, this is too wack.
Whiskey and Ginger Ale: 5.5 – It’s not something to write home about, but it’s enjoyable to drink.
Whiskey and Coke: 7.0 – Figured we’d try this given the rum flavor. It’s delicious. So while it pains us to recommend an Irish whiskey with cola, you might be better off.
Value: 4.0 – Nothing about this can justify that price tag. Oh sure there are many good things about this whiskey, but there is nothing that says this would cost near 40 dollars.
Google Shop Average: $36
Website: https://teelingwhiskey.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.5
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Metric Score: 39.17/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.6 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.5
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Final Thoughts: Overall this is okay, it’s not the best whiskey to emerge, and it’s not a star. It is an okay spirit though and given some restrictions the best you can get. Overall though if we were to give a rating, the problem and solution here is how rum affects the rating.
