Review by: Raygun

A blended whiskey from Teeling, in about a 3:1 grain to malt whisky ratio according to them. I assume it’s entirely Teeling distillate. Had some great Teeling single casks and so I figured I’d give this one a shot, pretty much their entry level. Rested for 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Teeling

Bottler: Teeling

Region/style: Irish blended whiskey

ABV: 46%

Age: NAS

Cask type: Initially matured in bourbon barrels, then finished in Central American rum casks.

Color: 0.7 amber. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: $35

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Nose: Very light. Some cereal, a drop of caramel, and bran muffin. Not a lot here.   

Palate: Better here. Cereal is the dominant flavor, with some brown sugar. Chocolate wafers and a bit of guava. There’s a little hint of rum kind of funk. Pretty subtle though. Which describes the flavor in general. 

Finish: Cereal, brown sugar, vanilla cookies. A hint of chocolate. In other words, not to dissimilar to the palate. With the addition of some apple juice. Lightly sweet. 

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Conclusion: Does what it seems like it’s trying to do: be a little step up from Glenlivet or Glenfiddich 12, but without being challenging. It’s fine. Assuming it’s in the price range I think, would be a good purchase for someone wanting that next step up from the entry level malts. For me, I appreciate it for restoring a sense of what most OB Scotch aims at, the kind of stuff I rarely drink anymore. It’s competent, but not exciting at all.  

Conclusion: It’s all right. Nothing bad here; just pretty nondescript. Presumably pretty young, but at least free of obvious young grain notes. Can’t say anything very positive about it. Just not that much here. If nothing else, I suppose it proves that bottling at 46% without coloring or chill-filtration is not sufficient to make a good whiskey. I’ve mainly been using it for cocktails and that’s how I’ll finish up this bottle. 

Buy again? Unlikely

Score: 69

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
• 0-49: Blech.