Teeling to launch two bottlings on World Whisky Day

Dublin-based Teeling is preparing to launch two Irish whiskeys on World Whisky Day (16 May): the third iteration in the Brabazon series and a 28-year-old single malt.

Teeling 28 Year Old is limited to 4,000 bottles

Brabazon Series 3 is a 14-year-old single malt that has been finished in Pedro Ximenez casks, which were sourced from a small family bodega. It has an ABV of 49.5%.

A total of 10,000 bottles will be available to purchase, priced at RRP €95 (£85/US$103). The expression will be followed by Brabazon Series 4.

Teeling worked with a local sketch artist in Dublin to recreate the Brabazon family home that the brand helped restore at the back of the distillery.

The launch of Brabazon Series 3 will coincide with the release of Teeling 28 Years Old, which followed the brand’s 21-year-old and 24-year-old whiskeys. It is made from the same distillate that was distilled 1991.

The single malt spent eight years in Sauternes casks. The expression is limited to 4,000 bottles that will be priced at around RRP €500 (£485/ US$542). It has been bottled at 46% ABV.

Stephen Teeling, sales and marketing director, said this would be a slightly softer launch than what the brand would usually do given the Covid-19 situation.

“Myself and Jack [Teeling, founder and managing director] will hopefully do a littlve live stream talking about the realities of what’s been going on over the last eight or nine weeks as a softer launch rather than with all the bells and whistles we’d have done in normal times, because it’s not normal,” Stephen Teeling explained.

“We’re seeing a lot of industry people looking at ways of doing whisk(e)y tastings online to get the message out there. It used to be that you’d use the big whisk(e)y festivals to connect with your audience, so it will be interesting how the launch can really make an impact if people can’t taste the liquid. We’re going to get the liquid out to as many people as we can.

“We were going to stagger the 28-year-old and the Brabazon, but we decided to do them both together. Again, it just feels good talking about whiskey, giving people a heads up that it’s coming.”

Both whiskeys will first launch in the UK and Ireland, before being rolled out to other markets.

Brabazon Series 3 comprises 10,000 bottles and will be followed by Brabazon Series 4

“Certain countries have just shut completely, so a lot of business has just ground to a halt, but we’re seeing things slowly come out of hibernation,” Teeling said.

“It’s a challenging time for everyone. It’ll be interesting when the dust settles and everyone feels like the ground isn’t coming away from under their feet as I think we’ll see an interesting emergence of e-commerce and at-home consumption, versus traditional consumption.

“Maybe through technology we can get out to more people and people will be a little more open  to that, rather than spending all your time in airports or in cars trying to connect with people. We just hope we can all get through this, and everyone can come out the other side unscathed, with everyone’s health in tact.”

Charitable effort

Teeling Irish whiskey has been doing what it can to help raise funds for numerous charities during the pandemic.

The brand has established the Teeling Frontline Heroes charity website to raise funds for worthy causes through exclusive bottlings and charity bundles, including branded hats, t-shirts, hip flasks, tasting journals and more.

All profits from the sales will be donated to Teeling’s charity partners, supporting frontline workers as they combat the coronavirus crisis.

Teeling’s charity partners include Alone, which supports older people to age at home; St James’s Hospital Foundation; The Mater Foundation; and Keep Breathing.

Teeling created a charity bottling, the brand’s first whiskey aged in Virgin Irish oak

For more information on bundles available, visit www.teelingfrontlineheroes.com.

“We felt like there wasn’t much we could do to influence the outcome,” Teeling explained. “We were wondering what we could do to play our part and find some positives in a bad situation.

“There’s been a big sense of community and people have been very aware that a lot of people in medical professions, in hospitals, were putting families and lives on the line, so we thought right, we need to do something to help.”

Teeling created a limited edition bottling – the brand’s first to have been matured in Irish virgin oak casks – with all proceeds earmarked for charities supporting frontline workers.

“It was the fastest-selling product to ever go out through the Celtic Whiskey Shop and sold out in two hours,” he continued. “It’s just a drop in the ocean in reality of doing things, but at least it allowed us to do something and give to the four charities.”