Teeling
Contents
The distillery is located in the former “golden triangle” Liberties in Dublin. The neighborhood got its nickname because of its high density of large and small whiskey distilleries from times long past. Teeling is building on this tradition with its reopening in 2015. This is the first time in 125 years that there is a new distillery in Dublin. Shortly after leaving Cooley in 2012, Jack Teeling, son of the former Cooley founder John J. Teeling, started his own business as a bottler - only to found the Teeling Distillery in Dublin in 2014. Until 2018 inclusive, Teeling Whiskey will still come from the Cooley distillery.
How does Teeling Whiskey taste?
The first New Make was bottled in March 2015. We can hardly wait to find out how the “new” Teeling Whiskey from the in-house distillery will taste. A classic Irish unpeated pot still whiskey is planned. Until we know more, here is the taste analysis of the teeling as we know it so far from the Cooley distillery:
House style: fruity-sweet and yet spicy. Very straight forward.
How is whiskey produced at Teeling?
At Teeling, 50% unmalted and 50% malted barley are traditionally used in pot still whiskey. The distillery buys the unmalted barley directly from the producers themselves, while the malt is bought in from the malthouses. In the unmalted barley, the moisture is reduced to 12%. The modern mill, like the mash tun, comes from the German company Steinecker near Munich. One wash still, one intermediate still and one spirit still from the Tuscan company Frilli are available, but are not characterized by any special bulges or indentations. The Teeling distillery has a total of four washbacks. Two of them are made of Douglas fir, the other two are stainless steel. Maturation should mainly take place in ex-bourbon barrels, but a few ex-sherry barrels and some old wine barrels are also involved.
Trivia
The fact that Teeling Whiskey is a family business is not only evident from the name - the whole family is involved. Jack Teeling’s brother Stephen took over the commercial management in 2013 and one of the stills is sympathetically named after a different daughter of Jack Teeling: Allison, Natalie and Rebecca.
History of the Teeling distillery
In 2007, John J. Teeling sold the Cooley distillery, which he founded after his failed takeover of the Irish Distillers Group (IDG). Although he lost out in the bitter struggle for IDG at the time, he was able to achieve rapid success with Cooley, so that the Kilbeggan distillery was soon added in addition to Cooley. More specifically, he sold Cooley Distillery plc, which includes both Cooley and Kilbeggan distilleries. His son Jack Teeling, who also worked for Cooley, left the distillery in 2012 to pursue his own project: Teeling Whiskey.
The good relationships between the Teeling family and the Cooley distillery were maintained in the form of a whiskey supply contract. Older whiskies from the Cooley distillery have been sold under the Teeling Whiskey brand since 2013, until the Teeling Distillery can present its first in-house whiskey. Until then we will have to be patient a little longer.
After a break of almost 40 years, Dublin can now boast Teeling, an active whiskey distillery within the city limits - including a visitor center, restaurant, bar and shop. This is one more reason to visit the exciting capital of the Emerald Isle. Especially for the annual Liberties Festival at the end of July, which takes place in the district of the same name, where the Teeling distillery is also located.
Distillery Factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teeling | Dublin | Ireland | ||
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Active | 2012 - Present | Malt | Teeling | Not Available |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Alex Chasko | Jackand Stephen Teeling |