Teeling Wonders of Wood Swedish Oak - June 2024 Irish Whiskey Review
Posted by Irish Whiskey USA on
Teeling Distillery brought the "Spirit of Dublin" back to the historic Irish Whiskey city in 2015. Teeling was the first new distillery to produce and release a Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey in Dublin back in 2018. Since that initial 3yr release of 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley, further maturation and cask types have created a range of Single Pot Still (SPS) whiskeys to encroach on the category style once exclusive to only Midleton Distillery.
The latest Teeling SPS bottling is the 3rd release from the Wonders of Wood series. Most Irish Whiskeys are matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks with many then receiving additional finishing in European oak having previously contained a variety of wine. With their Wonder of Wood series, Teeling is showing the impact of full maturation in unique wood types.
All releases in the Wonders of Wood series utilize Teeling's single pot still of 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley. All releases in the series are non-age statement whiskeys. The first Wonders of Wood release was aged exclusively in Virgin Chinkapin Oak, providing a toffee, caramelized sugar quality The second release was aged exclusively in Portuguese oak producing unique fig and funk characteristics.
In Spring 2024, the third in the series matured solely in Swedish Oak was released. Unique for Irish Whiskey, this wood type has been used for whiskey aging before by Swedish producer Mackmyra. Swedish oak imparts characteristics of sandalwood, dried ginger, black pepper, and aromatic herbs.
Official tasting notes from Teeling:
Nose: Light floral notes with citrus fruits, hints of caramel and cooked barley.
Taste: Rich and full flavoured with herbs, candied ginger, almond and treacle.
Finish: Dry finish with light black pepper spice and nutmeg.
Taste: Rich and full flavoured with herbs, candied ginger, almond and treacle.
Finish: Dry finish with light black pepper spice and nutmeg.
The whiskey is triple distilled, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 50% abv. More dry than sweet with light spiciness reminiscent of black pepper on the tongue. The lingering finish has underlying ginger sweetness balanced with a botanical note that is hard to categorize. Overall, it makes for a slightly lighter single pot still perfect for warmer weather.