As a category, Irish whiskey is over 600 years old. But until recently, individual expressions of the liquid weren’t exactly associated with extended age. If you wanted a bottle with a couple of decades worth of maturation on the label, you’d turn towards the Scotch whisky aisle.
Today, Teeling is helping turn the page on that outdated notion. The celebrated craft producer from the heart of Dublin is set to debut its 40 Year-Old Single Malt, and we were among the first to pour a glass from its elegant gold-topped decanter.
Originally distilled in 1983, the whiskey rested exclusively in ex-American oak bourbon barrels. This particular sort of maturation, rendered over this length of time, tends to result in malts marked by coconut, cocoa nibs, and candied orchard fruit. And that’s precisely what you to get with Teeling 40. Its body paints broad brushstrokes of tropical sweetness and milk chocolate on the palate.
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The most unique characteristics, however, are in the dram's aromas. As it enters the glass, a bouquet of blueberry and peppermint wafts up toward the nose. Not exactly normal notes for a typical Irish whiskey.
These elements are amplified when you add merely a drop or two of water into the mix. Though, with an approachable proof point of 84.4 percent ABV, Teeling 40 isn’t spicy enough to necessitate dilution. Indeed, each sip finishes with raw buckwheat honey.
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When it comes to price point, however, it’s more likely to illicit howls. Teeling 40 Years Old Single Malt is set to retail at $16,000 a bottle. That’s enough to make it one of the most expensive releases ever—not just from the Dublin distillery’s expansive portfolio, but among the entirety of the Irish whiskey category.
Nevertheless, the price tag shouldn’t arrive as that much of a shock. After all, there’s only 140 decanters of the liquid available worldwide. And we know that rarity and age always collide with steep cost in the whiskey world. Furthermore, super-premium Irish expressions have been growing at a staggering clip throughout the 21st Century. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, sales of top-shelf bottlings expanded by some 2,779 percent since 2003.
This latest Teeling release is a significant mile marker on that continued journey. As a decades-old bottle of single malt priced on par with its Scotch counterparts, it's likely aimed at collectors. It comes with certificate of authenticity included in its plush packaging, after all.
In other words, if you’re eager to spend a small fortune on whiskey, there are now multiple sections of liquor store to pore through.
