I have four true loves in this world: my wife, my Cornish Rex Malcolm, watches and whiskey. Two of these passions constantly deplete my bank account, so thank God for my cat Malcolm and whiskey. Regarding the latter, I have spent the last few years exploring the depth and breadth of Japanese whisky with occasional saunters over to the “New World” producers of Taiwan and India. But recently I have been excited to return to my roots and re-experience what got me started in this pursuit in the first place – Irish Whiskey.
And so I set about to find an exemplary bottle of the good stuff and what a bottle of Irish whiskey I found! I was fortunate to get my hands on a bottle of Teeling 30 year-old Single Malt, presently the second oldest expression to come out of Ireland today behind its slight older sibling, the Teeling 33 year-old. These are extremely limited releases, the 33yo was only 275 bottles and the 30yo was 500 bottles, so I’m excited I managed to snag one.
Okay, let’s crack this bad boy! First, the color is a gorgeous caramel and oh my, the nose is delightful, tons of fruit and the smell reminds me of freshly-cut grass in the summer. On the palate, it starts out with a little wood and spice (zero smoke) and then develops a beautiful rounded sweetness, like pears and apricots (but not overly-sweet as bourbon can be) with gorgeous complexity and a long, lingering finish. Bottled at 46% alcohol but drinks so smoothly you’d think it was 3%, no bite or sharpness at all. Like a fine perfume whose scent changes on the skin, the profile changes significantly from the nose to the palate to the finish. Easily one of the most satisfying whiskeys I have ever tasted, and I’ve tasted a few It was voted World's Best Irish Whiskey in 2019 and I can see why.
A quick word on whiskey investment: you know, I feel sorry for people who buy whiskey merely for investment purposes. If you’re going to invest in material goods, in my opinion the best way to go is Art. You can hang a picture on a wall or put a sculpture in your home and enjoy it to the fullest up to the day you decide to sell it. Next in line comes collectibles such as cars, watches, guns, knives etc. Even if you decide not to ever use them for their intended purpose, enjoyment can still be had from the tactile experience of handling and inspecting etc. But bottom of the stack is whiskey and wine. If you decide to invest in whiskey, you can do nothing except stare at the unopened bottle until the day you sell it. And how much fun is that? Absolutely none in my books which is why every bottle I buy is opened, consumed and enjoyed with the purpose of creating some wonderful new memories. And I expect to get many great memories from this bottle! Thanks for reading and........
Slainte!
NickO