Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey 750ML

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey 750ML is a column-distilled Irish single grain whiskey bottled at 46% ABV in a 750ml bottle. What distinguishes this expression immediately is its exclusive maturation in ex-California Cabernet Sauvignon red wine barrels — a rarity in the grain whiskey category, where bourbon and virgin oak casks dominate. It was named Best Irish Single Grain at the 2017 World Whiskies Awards.

Quick Facts: ABV: 46%  |  Origin: Dublin, Ireland  |  Age: 5 Years  |  Distillery: Teeling Distillery

Production & Heritage

Teeling Distillery was founded by Jack Teeling and opened in 2015, making it the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125 years. The Teeling family's whiskey roots run deeper — Jack's father, John Teeling, established Cooley Distillery in 1987, reviving independent Irish whiskey production. The Single Grain expression is column distilled from a mashbill of 95% corn and 5% malted barley, then aged for five years exclusively in ex-California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This red wine cask maturation is the defining choice here; rather than finishing in wine wood for a few months as many producers do, Teeling commits the entire maturation period to these casks, allowing the wine influence to permeate the spirit thoroughly. The whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Red berries, grapes, and ripe plums arrive first, followed by layers of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove spice. An underlying sweetness — vanilla and honeyed fruit — anchors the nose and keeps the spice in check.

Taste: The palate opens with a pronounced spice kick: cinnamon, toasted oak, and cracked black pepper lead the entry. At mid-palate, lush red berries and damson plums emerge, carrying a juicy, almost vinous quality directly attributable to the Cabernet Sauvignon casks. Drying oaky tannins build steadily toward the back palate, adding structure and grip.

Finish: The finish is dry and medium-long, dominated by wood tannins and lingering spice. Subtle echoes of dark fruit fade slowly beneath the oak, leaving a pleasantly astringent close that invites the next sip.

How to Drink Teeling Single Grain

Neat at room temperature is the best way to appreciate the wine-cask influence — the 46% ABV delivers enough body without overwhelming heat, and a few drops of water can open the fruit notes further. This whiskey also works well in cocktails that benefit from a fruit-forward, tannic backbone. A Boulevardier is a natural match, where the berry and spice notes complement Campari's bitterness. In a Whiskey Sour, the wine-cask fruitiness plays beautifully against citrus and creates a layered sweetness without added sugar. A simple Blood and Sand variation works here too — the existing red fruit character harmonizes with cherry liqueur and sweet vermouth rather than competing with them.

Best For

• Introducing wine drinkers to Irish whiskey through familiar tannin and fruit notes
• Gifting a whiskey enthusiast something outside the standard bourbon-cask profile
• Building a tasting flight alongside Teeling Small Batch to explore the brand's cask philosophy
• After-dinner sipping as an alternative to port or dessert wine

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Teeling Single Grain taste like? It leads with warm baking spices — cinnamon, clove, and black pepper — before transitioning into juicy red berries, damson plums, and grapes, finishing dry with oaky tannins. The overall impression is vinous and fruit-forward, noticeably different from standard bourbon-cask Irish whiskeys.

How does Teeling Single Grain compare to Teeling Small Batch? Teeling Small Batch blends grain and malt whiskey finished in rum casks, yielding a sweeter, tropical-leaning profile, while the Single Grain is entirely wine-cask matured and skews drier with more tannic structure and red fruit. The Single Grain is also bottled at a slightly higher 46% ABV versus Small Batch's 46%, though both skip chill filtration.

Is Teeling Single Grain good for sipping neat? Yes — the 46% ABV and non-chill-filtered bottling deliver a rich mouthfeel that rewards neat sipping, and the complex interplay of fruit and spice from the Cabernet Sauvignon casks gives it enough depth to hold your attention.

Where is Teeling Single Grain made? It is produced at Teeling Distillery in Dublin, Ireland, located in the Liberties neighborhood of Dublin's city center. Teeling was the first new distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years when it began operations in 2015.

What foods pair well with Teeling Single Grain? Dark chocolate truffles complement the tannic dryness and berry notes. Aged cheddar or Gruyère echoes the nutty, spiced character. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary mirror the peppery, herbal spice. Dried fruit and nut boards play directly into the wine-cask fruitiness. Berry-based desserts like a blackberry tart create a seamless pairing with the red fruit profile.

What sizes does Teeling Single Grain come in? The standard and most widely available size is the 750ml bottle.

Is Teeling Single Grain worth the price? Teeling Single Grain positions in the accessible-premium tier of Irish whiskey. For a five-year age statement, non-chill-filtered bottling at 46% ABV, and a genuinely unusual full-maturation wine cask program, it delivers strong value relative to competitors that charge more for simple cask finishes.

Why Teeling Single Grain?

The single strongest reason to seek out this whiskey is the exclusive Cabernet Sauvignon cask maturation — not a brief finish, but the entire five-year aging period spent in California red wine barrels. That commitment produces a flavor profile that sits apart from virtually every other Irish grain whiskey on the market. The 2017 World Whiskies Awards panel confirmed as much, naming it Best Irish Single Grain. At 46% ABV and non-chill-filtered, the liquid arrives in the glass with its character intact, making it one of the more distinctive entry points into both the Teeling range and the broader Irish single grain category.