Teeling 24-year-old single malt

Teeling Vintage Reserve collection, 24-year-old single malt

This whiskey was sent to me from the brilliant Teeling whiskey company. All opinions & tasting notes are my own.

Last week it was finally time to open up this sample bottle from Teeling – the famous award-winning 24-year-old single malt.

Teeling 24-year-old single malt

There aren’t many older Irish whiskeys around, so I was very curious about how this one would be. Also, I have mixed experiences of older whiskeys. Older isn’t always better!
The oldest Irish whiskeys I’ve tasted before this have been 21-year-olds, from Midleton (Redbreast) and Bushmills, both excellent. In this Vintage Reserve collection from Teeling, there is also a 33-year-old whiskey, the oldest Irish whiskey out there, as far as I know.

The 24-year-old is initially matured in ex-bourbon casks and has also spent some time in ex-sauternes wine casks. Teeling themselves write on their site that it’s “limited to 5000 bottles per batch“. I wonder if this means that the 24-year-old single malt will be an ongoing release from them? Well, I certainly hope so!

This is one of the best Irish whiskeys I’ve tasted.
The first impression was an overload of flavour that filled up my entire being (ok, I little exaggerated, but you get it!).

Nose
Not impressive on the nose. Something smoky at first – almost like the burnt rubber of the Connemara. The smokiness disappears quite soon and there’s white pepper, wet wood, rhubarb and cereals.

Palate
There’s a total explosion on the palate with the first sip. Fantastic! I love it from the first moment it touches my mouth. I get toasted almond, figs, grapes, and apricot jam with a twist. An interesting combination of flavours – I love it!
The finish is long with a lingering sweetness but dryness on the tongue. With a drop of water, it becomes sweeter but lighter in flavour – not worth it.

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