Teeling 16 Year Old 2003 Single Cask for Bresser & Timmer

As far as I know this is the first time that Teeling finished its whiskey in an Abafado cask. Abafado is a fortified wine from Portugal, best compared to Pineau De Charentes. Hence, I’m expecting a very sweet whiskey. It was bottled exclusively for the Dutch importer Bresser & Timmer.

At first I get the typical Teeling nose: nicely fruity, round and sweet. The emphasis here is on apricots and peaches, yellow plums and starfruit. Some walnuts and soft spices like ginger and liquorice. Wonderfully summery and quasi tropical.

On the palate it first offers sweet notes like on the nose, but that is soon joined by some bitter touches as if from a grape pith, followed by liquorice and white pepper. White wine kicks in. So does mandarin. It stays on the right sight of bittersweet, let’s say. Very drinkable despite the strength.

It’s in the long, honeysweet finish that the Abafado cask puts its foot down. It keeps the finish very sweet and rich and turns this Teeling into a veritable dessert.

This stuff makes me happy. Worth its price tag of 100 EUR. With a big thank you to Belgium’s biggest Teeling fan, Benny J.