Teeling Blackpitts Peated Irish Whisky (NAS)

 

I love Teeling whisky. I visited the distillery in Dublin in December of 2020 and it was a wonderful experience. I've actually strolled through the Blackpitts neighborhood that this whisk is named for. 

Peated Irish whiskies are pretty uncommon - the only other one I can remember having was Connemara, which I liked but didn't love. This one is triple distilled, of course - they started with peated Speyside malt at the highest concentration they could find (55 ppm) and apparently after the triple distillation it ended up around 15 ppm, which is - in terms of scotch - approximately Springbank territory. 

Here are some pleasant memories from the Teeling distillery:

This whisky is presented without an age statement, bottled at 46% ABV, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Sauternes casks (!). Very intriguing! Let's explore this Irish dram:

Nose: Very fascinating nose: white grape scents, very light peat and ashy smoke, strong coconut notes, pineapple, coal and/or tar, some orchard fruit (apple, pear mostly), honey, and sweet toasted oak. Very alluring!

Mouthfeel: Thin and silky. 

Palate: Very interesting: peppermint, ash, unripe tropical fruit, ripe orchard fruit, still lots of coconut (this time toasted), more ash, lovely sticky honey, yet more ash... then at the end of the development it dries out with white wine notes and peppery oak. Surprisingly dry going into the finish!

Finish: Ash, honey, coconut, and peppery oak. The ash/peat carries on quite a long time. A nice, logical ending that finishes what it started. 

Verdict: This is surprisingly gentle and subtle whisky. With most peated whiskies you go in mostly expecting to be slapped in the face a bit. Not so with this. The peat is present but more of an interesting sideshow to the three ring circus of tropical fruit, orchard fruit, and white wine notes. The peat really comes across as quite ashy, which I have always liked, so it works for me. The triple distillation and essential Irish character really benefit from the added ash and peat notes - the whole thing is very nice. I look forward to seeing how this bottle ages and where the flavors go as it oxidizes. A win, highly recommended!