I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Stephen Teeling, part of the Teeling lineage that owns the only independently family run whiskey distillery in Dublin, Ireland.
He was on a recent visit to the U.S. to promote their latest release, Teeling Single Malt at various restaurants, bars and liquor stores from New York to LA. What a pleasure to have the opportunity to sit down with him for a special Q&A, tasting and to discuss their mission for bringing Teeling Whiskey into the new generation.
The future of Teelings looks very promising especially with the latest generation of Teeling brothers at the helm, with the goal to have Americans think of them as the “go to” whiskey of choice.
The latest release is part of the Teeling Expression Trio, which also features the Single Grain and the Small Batch. Three different styles with three different compositions.
According to Stephen Teeling, “the best thing to do is to taste whiskey straight at first to get the profiles before trying to make cocktails. We are making whiskey for the next generation and want to challenge Americans taste buds.” The U.S. tour is relying heavily on the bar staff to experiment with the whiskeys and help the Teelings make whiskey a bit more social.
It’s an exciting time for Irish whiskey.
Enjoy the Q&A
EatinAsian : For the lay-person, can you explain the difference between Scotch, Bourbon, Canadian Whiskey and Irish Whiskey?
ST : To be an Irish Whiskey it has to be aged on the island of Ireland for a minimum of 3 years. Due to the temperate climate in Ireland the maturation in the barrel is very consistent which leads to a signature of approachability across all Irish whiskeys versus Scotch, Bourbon or Canadian whiskey.
EatinAsian : How is the best way to drink a good “whiskey”? Neat or on the Rocks?
ST : The best way to drink a good whiskey is neat. You can add a drop of water to open up some of the flavors that maybe masked at the higher ABV.
EatinAsian : What foods pair best with what whiskeys?
ST : We have 3 very different styles of whiskeys with the Teeling Single Grain, Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask, Teeling Single Malt.
The Teeling Single Grain it is predominantly corn as it’s base that is fully matured in California Red Wine barrels so works very well with lighter foods/cheeses. It would be normally consumed with appetizers or paired with a very light cheese dish.
The Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask is a blend of malt & grain whiskey which is given further maturation in rum barrels. It would have a fuller flavor than the single grain so could be paired with a red meat dish as pair of a dinner or with a stronger cheese/dark chocolate. It is a sipping whiskey which has a balance of flavors that can balance bigger foods out. This can also be used as a basis for an Irish Coffee due to the sweetness of the rum barrel and the higher ABV stands up in the drink.
The Teeling Single Malt is 100% malted barley and is more suited for after dinner or paired with a desert dish. It has rich, large and robust flavor process that is crafted to be enjoyed on the palate either on it’s own or you could pair it with a cheese plate or one piece of dark chocolate. This is also the perfect whiskey to be paired with a cigar.
EatinAsian : What is the biggest misconception or mistake that novice drinkers have/make about Whiskey?
ST : That all whiskey tastes the same. Sometimes people have a bad experience with their first whiskey as their palate may not be ready for big flavors. People need to understand that there are big variations between Irish, Scottish and American whiskey. Also within each category there are different styles like Single Grain, Blends and Single Malts. We always recommend people to join tastings, or samplings to get an understanding of what they like or what suits their palates.
EatinAsian : What is your all time favorite whiskey and how do you drink it?
ST : That is a very difficult questions to answer as all of our whiskeys are very special to me. Each whiskey have very different characteristics depending on the drinking occasion or why you are drinking it. If pushed I would probably have to say our single malt would be my favorite. It took us 24 versions to get to the final product. We used 5 different wine casks and it accentuates all that is good about Irish Single Malts. It recently won world’s best Irish Single Malt which was a massive achievement for our family. I would drink this neat in a stemmed glass to appreciated all of the fruit flavors that come from this gem of a whiskey.
EatinAsian : What sets your whiskey apart from others?
ST : All of our products are bottled at 92 proof so we don’t have to chill filter. We also have a special cask selection process that involved every bottling going through a rigorous selection process. We are the only Irish whiskey company that use Rum Barrels for a unique marrying process and we also are constantly innovating to excite whiskey drinkers about how good Irish whiskey can be.
EatinAsian : What is the aging process?
ST : The aging process is where new make spirit is placed in a wooden barrel before it becomes a whiskey. The aging process is vital for us as we used unique styles of wooden barrels as well as a hand selection process. In Ireland we have unique climate that leads to a much more consistent aging process.
EatinAsian : What kind of barrels do you use and why?
ST : We use a whole variety of different barrels in our aging process. We used ex-bourbon barrels, wine casks and rum barrels. This is what sets us apart from other Irish whiskey companies as we focus on quality over quantity.
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