Yesterday I posted a picture of the brand-new Whisky Exchange exclusives on my Instagram account (which you should follow if you don’t already…) asking which one to review first. There were a lot of requests for the sherried Caol Ila but when I started my tasting session the Teeling was winning. But we’ll do the other ones soon.
We’re talking about a Teeling 1991 single malt matured for over 29 years in a rum cask. The Whisky Exchange already released a sister cask two years ago (Teeling 1991 cask #10678) and casks from this range have also been used for the Vintage Reserve bottlings so it’s a great pedigree.
Teeling 29 yo 1991 (52,4%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, rum cask #10568)
Nose: that’s it! It starts like a crisp, grassy sauvignon note with a light pungent bite, but once it coats the glass it’s all on tropical fruits. Mango and passion fruit, with juicy oranges and freshly peeled tangerines. Lime and banana. All on tart fruits, typical excellent Irish. A hint of shortbread, toffee and clay as well.
Mouth: more vitamins. Pink grapefruit, pineapple, maracuja. Warmer hints of guava and banana in the background. Surprisingly little oak, although there’s some cinnamon and white pepper. Light vanilla, marzipan and honey. I swear I can feel a rummy, slightly boozy quality towards the end.
Finish: medium, totally fruity, now more towards lemon syrup and grapefruits, with subtle herbal notes.
The fact that this is an excellent Irish whiskey is not really a surprise. Teeling’s 1991 casks have a great reputation and rum tends to amplify the fruitiness further. Wonderful stuff, in line with other casks from this vintage but a notch below the others when it comes to sheer fruitiness. Exclusively available from The Whisky Exchange.