Irish whiskey is blowing up in the U.S. right now. Case in point, Teeling is about to ship around 6,000 bottles of their first installment of the “Wonders of Wood” series — a bespoke line of Irish whiskeys with unique barrel agings — to the U.S. It’s both very overdue and very welcome.
The tipple from the Emerald Isle used to dominate sales in the world (especially in the U.S.) in the 19th and 20th centuries. Then Prohibition brought the industry to its knees and then mid-20th-century British trade embargos drove coffin nails into Irish whiskey for, what felt like, good. The Irish whiskey industry started to recover in the early aughts as the current whiskey boom shook the cobwebs off the old barrels and, now, Irish whiskey is surging, especially stateside. All of that means we’re seeing new and exciting expressions make their way across the Atlantic yet again.
One of them landed on my desk early this year and I was pretty excited to give it a taste. I dig what the folks over at Teeling have been up to so let’s jump right into it!
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Teeling Wonders of Wood First Edition Virgin “Chinkapin” Oak
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
The first installment of the Wonders of Wood series is a single pot still Irish whiskey. That means the mash is a mix of 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley. The hot spirit is then filled into new American “chinkapin” white oak barrels for an undisclosed amount of time. Those barrels are then blended into this whiskey and proofed down ever-so-slightly to 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
This is very bourbon-esque on the nose, with clear notes of rich caramel, vanilla pods, almost raw leather, buttery biscuits, a hint of dried apple flowers, a whisper of wet oak, and a wink of fresh mint. The palate, on the other hand, starts off with a malty spiciness that leads to hints of ginger snaps and cream soda with a slight yellow straw note on the mid-palate as a softness kicks in on the mouthfeel. The sweetness returns near the finish with dark cacao and winter spice that then veers toward a thin echo of cumin before unfiltered apple cider soda and green alder round out the finish.
The Bottle:
The bottle feels like a classic Irish whiskey bottle with “Teeling Whiskey” embossed in the glass. The label is like a cummerbund around the bottom quarter of the bottle with pertinent information. The whole thing comes in a pretty big box with a full oak tree on it and plenty of info. Overall, it’s a distinct bottle with a good presentation for gift-giving.
Botton Line:
The nose is all bourbon whiskey and the palate is all Irish whiskey. I kind of like that, in that it’s the best of both worlds. I do think this might play better in cocktails but I can see pouring it over some rocks and being perfectly happy with it as a mid-week sipper.
Ranking:
89/100 — You can’t complain about a solid B+ on the first outing. However, there are some chinquapin oak-aged bourbons out there that blow this away. Still, this is very easy drinking and rewarding.