Whisky Belfast: December 2014

Monday 8 December 2014

Teeling Whiskey Co. - Single Malt - Tweet Tasting - Review

On Monday 8th December 2014 I took part in another fantastic Tweet Tasting, hosted of course by Steve Rush of "TheWhiskyWire.com", in which all involved were presented with the latest release from the Teeling Whiskey Co......their "Single Malt".

December has already been a busy month for the lads at Teeling, with the arrival of the new stills at their Dublin distillery, so it would seem that tonight was the perfect time to have this tasting.

Since releasing their small batch, rum cask finished, blend back in 2012 they've been churning out various fine bottlings including a 21 year old "Silver Reserve" single malt, finished in Sauternes casks and a particularly exceptional "Single Grain" that's matured

fully in Californian red wine casks.

This latest release continues on their growing tradition of taking fine spirits and pushing the boundaries in terms of maturation and finishing.

The Teeling "Single Malt" is a no-age statement whiskey but don't let that fool you. This excellent bottling contains a unique combination of Irish whiskey aged up to 23 years in

five different wine casks – Sherry, Port, Madeira, white Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In addition the "Single Malt" has been bottled at 46% ABV and is un-chill filtered.

The obvious question here is can Teeling can pull off the marriage of these five very different cask finishes to produce an end product that really sings from the glass and the answer to this is that they didn't just marry these finishes together perfectly but they've knocked it out of the park.

Onto my notes:

Nose - Lemon oil, sweet malt, all butter fudge and red fruit that comes through in the form of cranberry / raspberry / strawberry jam. Fragrant, rich and indulgent. White grape juice, pressed apple juice and a touch of cracked black pepper. Undiluted blackcurrant juice and stewed oranges. A little dusty "aged" note arrives over time alongside some polished wood and with more time the nose becomes more sherried with notes of dried fruit, mixed spice, ginger, rich fruit cake and rich cream.

Palate - Initially fruity with aged malt and lovely warm clove spice. Develops wonderfully into deep orange and more intense red fruit which is almost like raspberry coulis. Red apple, blackcurrant and mixed berries. The red wine cask influence is really starting to go into overdrive here. Delicious. To hold this in the mouth, and allow the alcohol to ease, creates one intense mouthful of rich fruit juice.

Finish - Fantastic length with a lovely drying feel caused, presumably, from the older whiskey and excellent interaction with the wood. The finish lingers on with light mixed spice and crunchy red apples.

Overall this is a stunner. A brilliant marriage of flavours that have been presented in a perfect form. The spirit has taken on these various flavours with aplomb and it really does show. Even as I write this the flavours are evolving in the glass and you get the sense that you could spend an entire evening with just two pours of this whiskey and never get bored. This, alongside Teeling's "Single Grain", is one of the finest Irish whiskies I've ever tasted. At no point do you get a sense that this has been hurried, or treated with disrespect, and the reward for this care is evident in every mouthful.

On a side note there is the question, that some would ask, as to where did this spirit originate from and if I had to guess I'd go with Bushmills.

If Teeling going forward, with their new distillery, can replicate this form with their own spirit then they could own Irish whiskey in years to come. A bold statement I know but why not?

All I have to say is a huge thank you to Steve Rush at TheWhiskyWire.com, where anyone can apply to join in the fun of the tweet tastings, and also a big thank you to the Teeling Whiskey Co. for the excellent sample.

As with most of my updates I've included a number of relevant web links below.

Until next time,

Sláinte

The Whisky Wire - http://www.thewhiskywire.com

The Whisky Wire Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheWhiskyWire

Teeling Whiskey Co. - http://teelingwhiskey.com

Teeling Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeelingWhiskeyCompany

Teeling Twitter - https://twitter.com/TeelingWhiskey

Friday 5 December 2014

The Lakes Distillery - Tweet Tasting - Review

On Wednesday 26th November 2014 I took part in another fantastic Tweet Tasting, hosted of course by Steve Rush of "TheWhiskyWire.com", in which all involved were presented with 2 samples from the up-and-coming Lakes Distillery.

The samples on show included their unique blend "The One" and their own delicious gin, which brought me my first experience of properly tasting this fine spirit.

Opened in 2014, in a renovated 1850s Victorian farm, the Lakes Distillery is England's largest and has recently opened up it's doors to all who wish to make the trip to the Lake District's only distillery.

As with many new distilleries, Lakes Distillery have gotten themselves a nice little portfolio to keep us all entertained while we wait, patiently, for their own malt whisky to mature. To get the ball rolling they are producing their own vodka and gin whilst also having a seriously unique blend named "The One".

"The One" is unique in that fact that it contains whiskies sourced from each country of the British Isles including Ireland both North and South which, for my own interest, would suggest that there is Bushmills malt going on in here.

It would also confirm that one of the other whiskies involved is Penderyn from Wales and as for England's offering take your pick from St George's or Hicks and Healey. If I had to randomly guess I'd say St George's. To continue guessing I'd go for Southern Ireland being represented by Cooley which only leaves Scotland. This is where I'm completely stumped, some peated whisky has been used for sure but I'll not even begin to start speculating.

With regards to their malt, that's already maturing, first releases are due to be released in 2017 and will be lightly peated in the style of Highland malt but for now we will have to make do with what is already fit to drink and on that note I'll move onto the spirits sampled on the evening.

"The One" - Blended Whisky - 40% ABV

Nose - Light, fresh, candied lemon peel, light peppery smoke, gentle vanilla biscuit and milk chocolate. Definitely on the young side but shows a great vibrancy and verve. Tart citrus keeps the feel sharp before it becomes distinctly softer. Caramel, malt bread and sticky toffee pudding gives a light sense of sherry barrel influence and in all the balance of spice and spirit is delightful.

Palate - The grain shows itself more on the palate. Initially you get a hit of smoke that's almost bitter / acidic. The smoke is more evident here than what was found in the nose. White fruit with crunchy white apple and more lemon zing. The spice is is gentle and kind. Malty sweetness and some lovely oak feel appears which leads to a slight bitter dryness which is not unpleasant. Again, great balance.

Finish - In honesty a touch short and, to be fair, I didn't actually expect anything else from a 40% blend but to give credit were credit is due the finish does deliver on more green apple, fresh fruit salad and some more of that gentle smoke which is much more restrained in it's bitterness.

Overall - This is one of the finer blends I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. It displays, in my opinion, fantastic depth and quality and if this is a measure of what the Lakes Distillery are intent on releasing then we have some very exciting times ahead.

Lakes Distillery Gin - 43.7% ABV
(Made with juniper, bilberry, heather, meadowsweet)

Nose - Lavender, hairspray, orange blossom and a light herbal note. Immensely refreshing and when tasted as recommended, which is drunk when chilled in a freezer, you get a great sense of a hot summer evening in a glass. The fragrant notes continue with parma violets, limoncello and cucumber.

Palate - Light, clean and still hugely refreshing. Even more orange blossom, limoncello, light herbal spice and thyme.

Finish - Clean with a good last kick of citrus liqueur and clove.

Overall this is an excellent gin and one that's worth getting a hold of. Whilst having not settled myself down to properly taste gin before I have enjoyed many a G&T and can honestly say that this would be delicious in such a guise.

Fantastic stuff. This tasting was a great insight into where English distilling is going and the passion of those involved at Lakes Distillery can be found in the products they are already putting out there. If this continues into the craft and presentation of their single malt then it promises to be a belter.

All I have to say is a huge thank you to Steve Rush at TheWhiskyWire.com, where anyone can apply to join in the fun of the tweet tastings, and also a big thank you to Lakes Distillery for the excellent samples.

As with most of my updates I've included a number of relevant web links below.

Until next time,