So why am I starting with the Teeling Brabazon 02 instead of the 01? Easy, I didn’t have access to an 01 when I was sitting down for Irish Month, but don’t worry, I have a review of the 01 coming soon; I was able to secure a bottle from Ireland – ah the joys of being in love with an international spirit. And before you ask, yes, this is made using whiskey the Teelings sourced from Cooley which they had previously distilled, so essentially they’re sourcing it from themselves.
If this is your first exposure to the Brabazon series and wondering what the difference between the 02 and 01 is, it’s the kind of casks they’re aged in. The 01 is all sherry casks while the 02 is all port casks, giving them completely different characters, which we’ll get into more in the Teeling Brabazon 02 review below… so let’s get on with it!
Whiskey Review – Teeling Brabazon 02
In Teeling’s Words: Teeling Brabazon 02
“Series No. 2 focuses on port cask maturation and consists of a range of carefully selected port aged whiskeys producing a full flavoured port influenced Irish Single Malt. This bottling consists of a vatting of 6 different port casks carefully chosen for their complementary character. The Brabazon Bottling Series 2 is bottled at 49.5% with no chill filtration allowing for all the natural flavours of this whiskey to be retained. Limited to just 12,500 bottles this is a whiskey to savour.”
Teeling Brabazon 02 price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Ireland
Distiller: Teeling
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Port Casks
Age: ~14 Years (08/2017)
ABV: 49.5%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 02
Price: $84
Teeling Brabazon 02 Tasting Notes
EYE
Pinkish copper
NOSE
Malt, copper, pink grapefruit, strawberry candy, vanilla taffy, banana and a light bit of spice.
PALATE
Malt, copper, banana, strawberry candy, port sweetness, vanilla, spice and a bit of citrus oil.
FINISH
Long -> spice, malt, copper and strawberry candy.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great sense of balance, round full body and a soft oily feel.
OVERALL – Teeling Brabazon 02 Review
Teeling Brabazon 02 is a great whiskey, it has a lot to offer across the senses in the way of variety, but it misses the mark of a warmer sense of depth by a hair. It’s a rich tasty and aromatic whiskey with a nose that’s fruity sweet with a touch of candy and copper; a palate that’s malty sweet with a touch of wine sweetness and copper tang; a finish that’s a nice blend of the two.
Water doesn’t do much to the Teeling Brabazon 02, it doesn’t release more complexity or more of the port wine sweetness or character which I was hoping for because the port influence is a bit on the light side here. I’d rather it be a bit on the light side than the heavy side because it’s easy for port to dominate a whiskey so I appreciate the deft hand in the port cask usage. However, if it hit a bit richer note with that port it could have been truly amazing.
SCORE: 89/100 (B+)
