The US whiskey industry is known for its corn/grain whiskey but the current world champion of this category comes for Ireland. The innovative Teeling Whiskey Company who have already released their award winning Small Batch rum finished Irish whiskey to critical acclaim are now launching their Single Grain whiskey. This release is to help drive the selection and breadth within Irish whiskeys at a time of growing interest in the United States for more innovative, unique and interesting Irish expressions.
Teeling Single Grain is one of only a handful of single grain bottlings in the world. The whiskey is made by combining unique ingredients, with maize/corn dominating and uses modern column distillation to produce the whiskey, which is exceptionally clean and smooth with a touch of sweetness. Jack Teeling, founder of the Teeling Whiskey Company, commented, “It’s a little known fact that the majority of Irish whiskey sold is actually Grain whiskey so we feel it is interesting to have expressions of Single Grain whiskey in its own right. Our new Teeling Single Grain is representative of our aim to help drive the expansion of the Irish whiskey category through unique bottlings and expressions.”
The new whiskey has not gone unnoticed. Teeling Single Grain was recently awarded World’s Best Grain Whiskey at the World Whiskey Awards in 2014. First held in 2007, the World Whiskies Awards run by Whiskey Magazine, search for the very best whiskies in the world. This year’s competition saw more than 300 whiskies put through their paces with three rounds of rigorous tastings, to win the coveted title of the “World’s Best”.
The Teeling family whiskey heritage dates back to distilling in Dublin in 1782 and Walter Teeling who set up a distillery in Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties. Jack and his brother Stephen, Sales & Marketing Director, are just the latest Generation of Teelings involved in the Irish whiskey industry. While initially starting out as an Independent bottler their aim is to bring Teeling Whiskey home by establishing the first new whiskey distillery in Dublin in over 125 years.
Teeling Single Grain Tasting Notes:
Color: Naturally dark copper ‘berry’ red
Nose: Spicy with fruit notes intermingling with an underlying sweetness
Taste: Strong spice at the start evolving into rich red berries, fruit and tannin on the finish
Finish: Dry finish dominated by wood and spice
The depth of character in Teeling Single Grain is from the maturation in the California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This creates the deep amber color and contributes to the spicy notes and lush red berry and grape flavors.
Like all Teeling whiskeys it is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration allowing for all the natural flavors of the whiskey to be retained. Teeling Single Grain will be available nationally with an SRP of $49.99 for a 750ml.
World’s Best Grain Whiskey 2014 – Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey – Judges Comments
• Good balance of sweetness and dryness providing a framework for their flavours to emerge -‐ Ian Wisniewski
• Custard, brûlée, gentle warmed oak and candied, dried fruit. Tropical, almost leathery. Juicy and
full mouthfeel, grain flavours layered with sweet plum. Lengthy finish -‐ Seáneen Sullivan
• Sweet, rich, mellow with soft spices on the nose. Buttery, butterscotch, excellent maturity. Long
lasting finish and perfect balance between sweetness and dryness. -‐ Ludo Ducrocq
http://www.worldwhiskiesawards.com/teeling-‐single-‐grain.22228.html
