By Richard Thomas
Score: A+
Teeling 32 Yr Outdated Irish Single Malt
(Credit score: Kurt Maitland)
Though Teeling Whiskey Firm is effectively previous its days of being solely reliant on sourced whiskey shares for his or her work, having opened their Dublin distillery in 2015. That stated, they nonetheless have some ultra-aged stuff socked away to play with, which is why we get periodic releases of issues like this new 32 yr outdated single malt.
This whiskey began out by getting into an ex-bourbon barrel in 1990, the place it stayed for 28 years. 4 years in the past, Teeling transferred it to a cask used to mature Purple Muscat from Portugal, receiving a very lengthy, deep end earlier than dumping and bottling.
That ending alternative grabbed my consideration, provided that I lived in Portugal for eight years and proceed to go to commonly. Purple Muscat is basically grown and made in Setubal, a area simply south of Lisbon that I do know effectively for the surroundings, diving and the Queijo de Azeitao. Teeling truly has a observe file for locating wonderful (and generally unique) cask inventory from Portugal, and this time was no exception.
The muscat cask was the one one used for the discharge, and yielded solely 283 bottles. A part of the rationale why is it was bottled at cask power, which coming to 53.7% ABV is without doubt one of the strongest Teeling whiskeys thus far.
The Whiskey
The coloring of the pour is a darkish, deep reddened amber, as one may anticipate from one thing that has gotten such a protracted soaking in a wine cask. No water was vital right here, as I discovered the whiskey completely pleasurable from the bottle.
Taking within the nostril gave me a present of vivid crimson fruits (assume strawberries, cherries and raspberries, not grapes) and caramel, with a robust accent of peppermint and a sliver of moody, hoary wooden. It’s an opulent, richly endowed dram, which reveals itself greatest on the palate. The fruity aspect goes a bit darkish, with raisins stirred into that cocktail, and the caramel/vanilla word is subdued by a rising tide of tannic, dry oak. The turns sharply, although, with the woody spices moderating out to sandalwood, joined to an earthy oat cookie.
This one is a superlative bottle, and actually a correct muscat bomb, if there have been such a class. It sings with its cask end, however not in such a method as to make you neglect there’s a well-aged Irish single malt at its core. It’s been a couple of years since I final handed out an A+, however on this occasion I didn’t dither over the grade one bit. The whiskey actually is that good.
The Worth
The Teeling 32 Yr Outdated will change into obtainable within the US subsequent month, with a retail value of $3,499.99.
