First Impressions
Teeling Small Batch — from Dublin's first new distillery in over 125 years. In 1782, Walter Teeling established a distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties. The family legacy was revived when John Teeling founded Cooley Distillery, which he sold to Beam Suntory in 2011, retaining roughly 16,000 casks.
The Revival
Jack and Stephen Teeling launched the Teeling Whiskey Company in 2012 using those retained casks, then opened their own distillery in Newmarket Square in June 2015. The Small Batch is a blend of malt and grain whiskey, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished for up to 12 months in Central American ex-Flor de Caña rum casks. Non-chill filtered at 46%.
Tasting
Floral vanilla nose with rum sweetness. The palate delivers crunchy cereal grains with rum raisin and dried apricot. The rum influence threads through without dominating. Some youthful roughness on the finish, but the 46% non-chill-filtered bottling gives it proper body.
The Verdict
Teeling Small Batch earns a 7 — a spirited Irish whiskey with genuine personality from the rum cask finish. At £33, it's excellent value. The 46% bottling strength shows ambition, and the Dublin revival story gives it heart. Not the most refined Irish whiskey, but one of the most characterful at the price.
