Teeling Small Batch
A sweeter side of Irish whiskey shaped by a rum-cask finish. Teeling Small Batch brings vanilla, caramel and tropical fruit together at a full 46% ABV.
Tasting notes
THE BOTTLE
Teeling Small Batch is a blended Irish whiskey built around malt and grain whiskeys that are initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels.
The part that gives Small Batch its own direction comes afterwards. Teeling marries the whiskey in Central American rum casks for up to 12 months, bringing another influence to the finished blend.
It’s bottled at 46% ABV and is non-chill-filtered, both of which have become familiar features across much of Teeling’s range. It carries no age statement.
Teeling itself is a relatively young name in modern Irish whiskey. Jack and Stephen Teeling founded the company in 2012, and the Teeling Whiskey Distillery opened in Dublin’s Liberties in 2015, bringing whiskey distillation back to that part of the city after a long absence.
OUR TAKE
The rum-cask finish gives Small Batch much of its character.
Vanilla and caramel are there early, along with a sweeter tropical-fruit character that gives this a different feel from the Irish blends we’d tasted earlier in this run. Some gentle spice comes through on the palate and the finish stays smooth with a little sweetness hanging around.
At 46% ABV, there’s also a bit more weight to it.
We like that the rum influence is noticeable without taking over the whiskey. The sweetness is part of the character without dominating it.
We tasted this alongside Teeling Single Grain and the difference between the two was pretty obvious. Small Batch leans towards vanilla, caramel and that sweeter rum-cask character. Single Grain went in a brighter, more fruit-forward direction.
We preferred Single Grain, but that doesn’t make Small Batch the lesser bottle for everyone. If vanilla, caramel and tropical fruit sound more like your kind of whiskey, Small Batch may actually be the one you’d pick.
At ₹4,800 for a litre at Delhi Duty Free, this isn’t an inexpensive experiment. If you’re exploring Irish whiskey beyond the usual bottles and want to see what a rum-cask finish can bring to a blend, there’s enough here to make it interesting.
The vanilla, caramel and tropical-fruit character gives it a different direction from more straightforward Irish blends. The gentle spice keeps some balance through the palate.
It's also worth considering if you've mostly stayed with Jameson and want to move into something a little different without jumping straight into a much heavier style.
If you're deciding between the two Teelings we reviewed, we'd keep it simple: Small Batch for the sweeter rum-cask profile. Single Grain for the brighter fruit character.
Vanilla, caramel and tropical fruit lead the way, with gentle spice and a smooth, slightly sweet finish. The 46% ABV gives it some extra weight without changing the sweeter direction of the whiskey.
It wasn't our favourite of the two Teelings we tasted. That's mostly down to preference. We leaned towards the brighter fruit character of Single Grain. If your palate runs more towards caramel, vanilla and sweeter cask influence, Small Batch has plenty going for it.
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Frequently asked questions
What does “Small Batch” mean in Teeling Small Batch?
In this case, Small Batch is the name Teeling uses for its blended Irish whiskey built from hand-selected casks of malt and grain whiskey. Those whiskeys are first aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being married in Central American rum casks for up to 12 months.
Is Teeling Small Batch a single malt?
No. Teeling Small Batch is a blended Irish whiskey made using both malt and grain whiskeys. Teeling has a separate Single Malt expression made from whiskey distilled from 100% malted barley.
What does it mean when Teeling says the whiskey is “married” in rum casks?
It means the malt and grain whiskeys are brought together and then spend additional time in the rum casks as a combined blend. For Small Batch, Teeling says this happens for up to 12 months after the whiskeys have already been aged in ex-bourbon barrels.
How old is Teeling Small Batch?
Teeling Small Batch carries no age statement, so there isn't a declared age on the bottle. The whiskey is initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before the blend spends up to 12 months in Central American rum casks.
Was Teeling Small Batch distilled at the current Teeling Distillery in Dublin?
Not necessarily. Teeling Whiskey Company was founded in 2012, while its Dublin distillery opened in 2015. Teeling Small Batch has therefore existed across a period that includes whiskey produced before the current distillery was operating.
The distillery itself was the first new whiskey distillery to open in Dublin in more than 125 years.
How should you drink Teeling Small Batch?
We'd start with it neat to get a clear sense of the rum-cask influence. A little water is also worth trying at 46% ABV.
It works well in cocktails too. We made an excellent Gold Rush with it, and the whiskey's sweeter character worked particularly well in that drink.