Review: Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Review: Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Review: Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Blackpitts is a section of Dublin just behind Teeling‘s new distillery in the Liberties, and it’s the namesake for a unique and evocative whiskey that will challenge many expectations of what Irish whiskey should taste like.

The triple-distilled single malt is made with peated barley — reportedly the only peated whiskey being made in the city today. The triple distillation keeps the peat influence at bay, as does aging in a combination of ex-bourbon and Sauternes wine casks. The result? Inventive and delightful.

Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey Review

Crisp and malty on the nose, the whiskey pours on notes of black tea, almond, and sesame, smeared with brown butter and a sprinkle of salt. It’s evocative but never smoky, with a lush savoriness to it. Nougat and almond appear quickly on the palate, offering a surprising sweetness that seemingly comes from nowhere. Caramel sauce gives the palate a creamy lushness, with notes of apple peel and grapefruit pulp adding some fruit. Plenty of ruddy spices linger as the whiskey develops on the tongue until, at last, some smokiness — tempered by salinity — comes into focus on the finish.

Extremely gentle-handed with the peat, it may be the least peaty peated whiskey I’ve ever encountered. That’s not a slam but an eye-opening compliment, as I had no clue a peated whiskey could turn out this gentle and refined. Amazing stuff, and neither black nor pitts-like.

92 proof.

A / $75 [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

USD75
9.5

Rating

9.5/10

A veteran journalist, the author of four books, a published poet, and an award-winning winemaker, Christopher Null has more than 25 years of experience writing about wine and spirits. He founded Drinkhacker in 2007. He also writes regularly about the science of booze for WIRED and is an occasional contributor to ADI's Distiller magazine. He has been a judge for both the American Distilling Institute Judging of Craft Spirits and Whiskies of the World spirits competitions and often works as a consultant, developing formal tasting notes for spirits brands around the world.

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