Around the world in 80 drams or less*.

By and large, scotch single malt whisky is what makes us tick. I get it, as this applies to me first and foremost. I’m guessing that roughly 80-85% of what’s in my cabinet classifies as scotch single malt whisky. And truth be  told, I was surprised to find that  as much as  20% of my bottles aren’t in fact scotch whisky, as I thought it would be far less.  A further surprise came when going through my sample bottles, as it seems the ratio of non-scotches to scotch increases even further. And because it’s healthy to broaden the horizon and to see which gems might be lurking in the shadow of the Scotch Whisky Throne, for the coming weeks I’ll be giving scotch a rest and instead focus on these – for lack of a better word -  ‘world whiskies’. And also, possibly, maybe because I’ve got a bucketload of samples to go through as well.

Back in June of 2022, I did something similar with a series called ‘is Scotch still king’, and then last year in September,  I did a series about non-scotch whiskies that should be on your radar. I like the idea of occasionally stepping away from Scoth to see what else is out there, so chances are it won’t be the last time I’ll dedicate a series of reviews to world whiskies. After all, whisky is now a pan global phenomenon, not only enjoyed, but also made the world over. And I think we can all agree that the quality of what’s being produced is steadily increasing, up to the point where more and more of these world whiskies are on par with the quality coming from many a Scotch distillery. Not to say they are similar  - who needs a copycat after all – but different and unique in the best possible way. And while Scotch will be our ‘go to ‘ option in most cases, it’s refreshing to witness how distilleries like Indri, Wire Works,  Erongo (Ondjaba), Amrut, Kavalan, Elsburn, Warenghem (Armorik), Belgian Owl, Corsair, Lark, Zuidam or (insert your favourite local distillery here)  are bringing something new to the big ‘ole whisky table. Something  that can stand its own ground. Long gone are the days when these were barely passed the stage of some endeavouring -yet-perhaps-not-entirely-legitimate moonshiners going bonkers  in a shed in Arkansas. Anno 2024, it really doesn’t matter anymore if you’re somewhere on continental Europe, Down Under, Far West, Out East, south of the Equator in Africa or in Latin America: chances are there’s distilleries to be found somewhere near you, and they’re being run by well equipped, knowledgeable  and passionate folk. And if there’s one thing where they’ll always have the upper hand on Scotch, it’ll be locality. Even when the quality of what’s being produced currently leaves room for improvement, there will always be a certain appeal towards  and pride about what’s being produced local to you. No Scotch will ever be able to compete with that. And with an increasing emphasis on locality, short-chain economy and environmental durability, the trend to shop local of what’s being produced locally will likely only strengthen in times to come.

So for the next couple of weeks, I’ll be pestering you with my thoughts and impressions on whisky originating from all over the world. And to ‘ease you in’, let’s start on familiar ground…

Teeling Single Malt Whiskey (October 2022 release). 46% ABV, UCF (possibly/hopefully natural colour as well?), app. €35-€45.

The reason I’m kicking things off with this Irish single malt, is trifold. Firstly: I happen to have a bottle of this in my cabinet. Plain and easy as that.

Secondly: I promised you last week that I would bridge the gap between the previous series and this one. 5 whiskies to lure people into whisky ended up being just 4, as I ran out of Thursdays in January, and I feel today’s whiskey would fit quite nicely in last month’s series too. It’s affordable, available,  and -spoiler alert – in my opinion  very decent and appealing in terms of quality.

Thirdly: This series will  be relying on a mixture of bottle reviews and sample impressions. But whenever possible, I try to review whiskies based on a bottle I own. As much as I love the concept of trying, sharing and enjoying samples, I find it can be a bit tricky at times too to base a full review based on something you only had one or two drams from. So whenever I have the option between a bottle or a sample, I tend to stick with the great British philosopher Jeremy Clarkson (‘more equals better’).

 Now, in terms of recognizability and popularity, Teeling probably need very little introduction. They were at the heart and centre of the Irish Whisky revival that started over a decade ago and deserve all the credit for bringing back distilling to Dublin. Even before the distillery became fully operational in 2015  they had already established themselves as a brand. When in 2012 John Teeling sold his Cooley and Kilbeggan distilleries to Beam Suntory, the deal allowed him to take no less than 16,000 casks of matured whiskey with him. This enabled him to kickstart the Teeling brand in 2012, obviously relying solely on rebranding  this Cooley and Kilbeggan stock. Seeing how this is a 2022 release with the words ‘single malt whiskey’ on the label,  I’m guessing it’s fair to assume that this is indeed all Teeling distillery product, rather than rebranded Cooley stock.

Nose

Mild spices, dried fruit and a lovely balance of grassy and floral notes, mixed in with some bees wax and even a faint hint of leather. This leads me to believe there’s a mix of ex-bourbon and ex- (refill) sherry casks involved here (although the make-up of the casks involved isn’t disclosed on  the packaging nor the label). Everything is brought together very elegantly by the grassy and floral notes, which stand out throughout it all.

Palate

Stewed apples and red apples with again more dried fruit. This may read as if it’s deep, dark and sherry cask driven but in fact it’s all rather light as it’s again lifted by lots of fresh grassy-floral notes alongside with it. Nuts and spices with hints of tobacco, soft pepper and a subtle salinity. Quite viscous too, despite the mouthfeel being on the thin side.

Finish

Salty and peppery, but gentle. More spices and grassy notes, going on for quite some time. At the very end there’s a drying element to it as well.

Final thoughts

In the past, I found Teeling to be quite hit or miss. It’s true that they crank out a very impressive range of whiskies,  and it seems that often they are more than willing to mature or finish a lot of what they produce (or brought along with them) in whatever cask they deemed fit: German wines casks, IPA barrels, rum casks, Belgian ale barrels, porter and stout casks, Portuguese wine and madeira butts, traditional bourbon barrels and/or sherry casks, … you name it, Teeling has probably done it. So it’s fair to say they don’t shy away from experimenting with wood. Because of this crazy amount of different releases (in my opinion often with mixed results when it comes to quality), I found I never really connected with Teeling. This, however,  is an absolutely pleasant discovery. This bottle was a Holiday gift, and given my previous experiences and preconceptions regarding Teeling, I didn’t really have huge expectations. And while it’s not super complex or the best whiskey out there,  it did sort of stop me in my tracks. Considering the price and enjoyment I’m getting from this whiskey, I feel it will make returning appearances in my cabinet from here on in. It’s youthful and vibrant yet by no means under matured, and it brings plenty of flavour to the party.  At the same time it’s all easy going and accessible, which makes this a very enjoyable and above all absolutely ‘fun’ whisky to have around. 84/100.

And with that, we’ll leave the British Isles and set sail for more ‘exotic’ stuff. Next stop: India!

*Definitely less