Earlier this month, Teeling Whiskey unveiled its third bottling in the Renaissance Single Malt Series. All three whiskies are made using 18-year-old Irish single malts. Each is finished for 18 months in barrels previously used to age a different wine, in the first case Madeira, the second Australian shiraz.
“There is a growing appetite for the Renaissance whiskies,” says Stephen Teeling. “We are flying through Renaissance Two. People are drinking them instead of collecting, which is great. In general, premium spirits seem to have been very resistant to lockdown. People are treating themselves and buying in places where they would have never bought before. This is a worldwide phenomenon, and I don’t think it will go away. We weren’t planning to roll it [Renaissance Three] out as quickly, but Christmas was so successful it got pulled forward. We plan to have a further two releases in the Renaissance series,” Teeling says.
Fruitiness
“Our Teeling Revival Volume IV, which was finished in Muscat barrels, won Irish Whiskey of the Year in 2017; that planted the seed with us. We realised that Muscat casks worked really well, accentuating the fruitiness of an Irish single malt, and is generally very well received. Renaissance Three spent 16 years in ex-bourbon casks, giving it a really nice base, and then the French Muscat barrels bring out floral notes, as well as the stone fruit elements we really like, and accentuate the malt elements too.”
This is a delicious whiskey, full of exotic fruits and vanilla balanced by a refreshing citrus note. Sold in a decanter bottle, the Renaissance Three sells for €140 and is available from teelingwhiskey.com, Celtic Whiskey, irishmalts.com and specialist retailers. Some 9,000 bottles were produced and it is bottled at cask strength of 46 per cent without chill filtration.
As part of its tasting series, Teeling will have Chapter One head pastry chef Darren Hogarty talking about pairing chocolate and whiskey for Easter. See teelingwhiskey.com for details.
