Yes, The Dublin Phoenix has a new batch of their Single Pot Still and yes, it’s different! Also this VIP Masterclass presented by none other than Alex Chasko the Master Distiller himself and hosted by the Nectar in the more than amazing spirits shop TasTToe, let us taste their Poteen, Teeling 24 “the famous 24” and the Teeling 30 year old. Read on below and learn more about your Irish Whiskeys.
The first reaction when you enter the Tasttoe Spirit Shop is to drop to your knees. I don’t remember seeing so much bottled booze in one room, ever. It is the Temple of Spirit, sheer heaven, Santa Claus must live somewhere among those aisles, I’m sure.
The Spirit Of Dublin, Poteen, 52,5°
Let me first remind you what poteen is, or actually poitin. It is pronounced roughly as ‘potcheen‘ and means nothing more than: ‘little pot’. Gaelic shares many words with our dialects here in Flanders and this is one of them: ‘potjen’ (pronounced roughly as ‘potchin‘) means ‘little pot’. It actually refers to the small pot stills it was/is made in. Its origin lies in 16th century Irish moonshine. It was illegally distilled malted grain spirit, you know for “a nip against the cold”. For Teeling it is not only the continuation of an old tradition, but it’s also the heart of their Single Pot Still. And a potent heart it is, at 52,5°. It is very grainy with a malty finish. It is velvet, oily and lush. I love it! I will never turn down a poitin, especially not when it’s The Spirit Of Dublin.
Teeling Single Pot Still, Batch 2, 46°
What happened to batch 1? Well, it is unavailable outside of Ireland, so one more reason to visit the green hills of Eire again. How does it taste? Well, it is three years old so fresh and fruity, raw and naked almost. It’s like cooked cereal, lots of grain, a bit peppery and so much body you can call it fat! Alex Chasko called it recon work for batches to come, well it’s definitely recon in force. It is aged in American oak, white wine (Chardonnay, I believe) and Pedro Ximinez casks.
Teeling Single Pot Still, Batch 3, 46°
This one is softer, a bit spicier maybe than batch 2. What happened is that the wine casks couldn’t hold it any longer so they discarded them. So it’s only American oak, bourbon and Sherry casks here.
Teeling Single Pot Still, Batch 4, 46°
This is the new one and compared to batch 1 and 2 it’s a whole different beast. It is even silkier and smoother than batch 3. What they did was to swap the Pedro Ximinez for a different sherry cask. It is very well balanced and compared to batch 1, 2 and 3 more like what you would expect from a typical Irish Single Pot Still, but a very, very good one of course.
Teeling 24 Year Old, 46°
The first time I tasted this I wrote in my notebook: “This is the Bomb!” and not much later it won the award for ‘best single malt whisky 2019’. It is beautiful. It is aged on Sauternes casks and the taste is like a complex balance between grape and grain. Alex Chasko says the following: ” It’s like a Lamborghini going down the road! It grabs your attention!” Well, it certainly does and it doesn’t let go. This is easily one of my top three favorite whiskies ever! Sheer f***ing bliss!
Teeling 30 Year Old, 46°
This one is limited to 500 bottles and one of the oldest Irish Single Malts ever bottled, so it’s quite rare. It is aged among others on white Burgundy casks. It’s fruity, very fruity, tropical almost and quite woody, some spice and pepper. It’s quite silky, like liquid gold on your tongue. If you have the chance, taste it. I don’t know if there are still bottles left, but be prepared to pack some cash, because it’s something around 1500€ per bottle.
Cheers!
The Cocktail Nation 