Since 2015, the Teeling Distillery in Dublin has been bringing Irish Whiskey to the world. Their peated “Blackpitts” edition, so named for the area surrounding the distillery traditionally used for malting barley, utilizes the distillery’s unique aging approach, which uses both ex-bourbon and ex-Sauternes white wine casks to impart a new and unique experience for Teeling and for Irish Whiskey in general. Bottled at 46% and with no chill filtration, the Blackpitts promises to deliver a little something new from the ashes of something old.
Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood
The Balvenie distillery is located in Dufftown near the old Balvenie Castle. In operation since 1886 by William Grant and has continued in family ownership since then. Beyond having a very wide range of offerings (14 standard, plus more in specialized markets), Balvenie currently has one of the busiest and slickest websites we’ve found yet. In other words, there is a lot going on at this place. Little wonder, too, as the distillery has collected awards and medals for many of its offerings since the turn of the millennium. The Doublewood has been an early club favorite and is often used when we’re introducing people to whisky.
Tomatin 14 Year
Tomatin has a nice selection of relatively affordable single malts, each with a nice little twist to liven things up. Since we enjoyed the Tomatin 12 year with its sherry cask finish, we decided to see what this slightly older sibling could improve upon with its final eighteen months finishing in port casks. The Tomatin 14 also scored a 92.5/100 in Jim Murray’s 2015 whisky bible and is thankfully a mainstay in their line of offerings. Say what you will about that particular reviewer or book, this scotch seems good enough to warrant further attention.