Teeling 1991 Vintage Reserve 24 Year Single Malt

My grandfather repaired watches and clocks. Through him I learned that one of life’s great pleasures is when everything clicks. I first tried this whiskey at WhiskeyLive last year at a tasting led by Alex Chasko, Teeling’s Master Distiller, and I managed to squirrel some away in a sample bottle for later enjoyment. The second whiskey (after Small Batch) that Teeling released was the 21 Year Old Silver Reserve. It was distilled in Sept 1991 in the Cooley Distillery which was formerly owned by the Teeling family. When Cooley was purchased by Beam Suntory the Teeling sons managed to negotiate the acquisition of a large amount of quality aged casks of whiskey. Maturing that 21 Year Old for 3 further years in Ex-Sauternes wine casks yields this 24 Year Old. In 2019 (a year and a half after it was bottled) it was the first Irish whiskey to win the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards. Chasko admitted frankly that they targeted that accolade. The nose is a dessert of honey, vanilla, oak, chomp bar, light peat, crushed walnut and a jam of marmalade and peach. Tropical fruits too - or more particularly Lilt for those who know that soft drink. The arrival is a somewhat dry and sweet wine (unsurprisingly). It develops into chewy orange and mango, some slightly acidic peat and mineral water, a tannic wood undertone, and a delightful sourness that I can’t pinpoint. Sugared tea and overdone toast linger, and minutes later there are echoes of eucalyptus. Madre de Dios, this is great. World award or no world award, this is a stunning success and deserves the fiery worship of Christians, Satanists, Atheists, Whiskeyphiles and anyone else with a nose and tongue.

This Teeling 24yo Irish Whiskey has won the 2019 World Whiskies Awards, as best whiskey of the year, but is it really the greatest dram of this year? The first question we should make is ¿how did Teeling released a 24yo Whiskey if it opened in 2015? Well, the answer is that they had bought some casks from other distilleries in ex bourbon casks, and they have finished this batch of 5000 bottles in Sauterness Wine Casks. The second question is.... is it truly the best overall whiskey of the year? Lets find out: Bottled at Teeling's classic strength of 46% it has a tawny color. On the nose: Very Fruity and Sweet. Cinnamon right from the start. Very spicy on the nose. Apple Caramel. Red apples, apple pie. Cooked apples. Coffee beans, dulce de leche, super sweet, it is like a dessert. It is a truly apple pie on the nose. No alcohol note at all. Milk powder and vanilla after first sip. Gerber's apple mash for babies. On the palate, it is more of the same. Apple pieces, cooked. Caramel, dulce de leche. Full cinnamon spice. First sip is super spicy. Apricots and ginger develop after the third sip. Aftertaste delivers something different. Tropical fruits are the main thing here. Peaches, cinnamon and pineapple. Long finish. Very nice. Overall, this is a €325 dram, easy drinkable, very fruity but not complex at all. If you asked me, you can a lot of better whiskies for that price. I think this is a good dram, but in no way this is (for me) the best whiskey of 2019. 88 over 100 is the score with most justice that i have ever given to a whiskey. It is no lower than that and it doesn't feel like it deserves more.

2017 Release- The Teeling 24 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey was first distilled in 1991. Originally aged in ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in sweet Sauternes wine barrels. The unique dual maturation imparts an extra depth of fruit flavours that perfectly complement the hint of smoke derived from the inclusion of a small portion of Peated malt as part of the original ingredients used in production. This small batch bottling, limited to just 5,000 70cl bottles, were hand bottled in unique decanter bottles and come with their own certificate of authenticity. Awarded the 2018 title of World’s Best Irish Single Malt, 21 Years Old +. This is a whiskey to be savoured. Nose: Pot Still spices with mix of lemon, orange peel and pineapple Taste: Smooth, lemon, apricots and gentle spices (credit to published reviews - on which I built mine)

Another Advent has come to an end. The hymns have been sung, the candles lit, timeless stories told...and now, the tired pastor is home. This was waiting for me, the final dram of this year's Advent calendar. It was worth the wait. Delightfully complex on both the nose and palate, stone fruit and pastry notes weave between puffs of diesel smoke. Lightly drying, and yet still rich; robust and oily, and yet still delicate and intricate. It somehow manages to dance between opposite poles with grace...it somehow feels a perfect whiskey for a night spent contemplating the strange miracle of incarnation. Worth all the effort to seek it out.

Honeyed, Tropical, and Citrusy. Nose: Honey, Sultanas, White Chocolate, Key Lime Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Peaches, Raisins, Salted Caramel, Dates, Figs, Pineapples, Bananas, Toffee, Apricots, Oranges, Walnuts Palate: Papayas, Passionfruit, Honey, Mangoes, Figs, Sultanas, Dates, White Peaches, Walnuts, Almonds, Banoffee Pie Finish: Sultanas, Key Lime Pie, Smoke, Salted Caramel, Honey, Raspberries, Almonds, Yellow Plums, Golden Kiwis

Ok, I can die now - impressive, the Irish whiskey to compare all against. The finish cannot describe - others have called it a “golden raisin” - for me it reminds me of “maracujá” a Brazilian tropical juice I used to drink after a great morning on the beach - incredible!