The term ‘small batch’ is quite trendy these days, used by everyone from distilleries to cookie makers. While it sounds good, we don’t always hear how small batch the production actually is. While we were visiting the distillery, we asked Teeling Whiskey’s Master Distiller, Alex Chasko how small batch Teeling really is, and he estimated that their small batch is about 90 barrels. That’s small, folks.
There is nothing small about the flavor of this rum cask-aged whiskey though. While it’s not unusual to mature whiskey in rum casks, Teeling uses only casks from Nicaragua—not the Caribbean, since the island rum tends to be much sweeter. Another quality that makes this batch special is that it is bottled with no chill filtration at 46 percent, allowing Teeling to capture all the natural flavors of the whiskey.
Related article: A New Era of Irish Whiskey
Tasting Notes
Vanilla, spice, notes of rum with woody undertones.
The Redleg Rebellion
We asked Kevin Hurley, Teeling’s Global Brand Ambassador (and one helluva cocktail maker and shaker) to provide us with a little something he likes to make with Teeling’s Small Batch: The Redleg Rebellion.
It’s a twist on a classic Mai-Tai, accentuating the rum cask finish of Teeling Small Batch. A refreshing and uplifting drink perfect for summertime.
This drink was created as a tip of the hat to the thousands of our Irish ancestors who forcibly worked the fields in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and without whose cheap labor and backbreaking work the popularity of rum may never have spread throughout the world.
“Redlegs” is a name given to Irish and Scottish natives that worked on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries, derived from the effects of the tropical sun on their fair-skinned legs. The Redlegs and their ancestors were forcibly transported by Oliver Cromwell to the Caribbean during his war against and subsequent subjugation of Ireland.
Though on paper the redlegs were indentured servants, in reality the majority were closer to slaves. Slave owners bought and sold indentured contracts repeatedly, and most never achieved freedom. Slave owners also kept future generations enslaved through bond labor, treated them like livestock, bought and sold them at will. Redlegs were beaten, tortured, and killed if captured as runaways. They were often worked to death due to not being accustomed to the harsh tropical sun. Redlegs had no control over the number of years they served, and most served for life.
Recipe
30ml Teeling Small Batch
20ml Clement Creole Shrub
10ml Taylors Velvet Falernum
20ml Lime Juice
20ml Pineapple Syrup
Method
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass or Julep cup filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice, mint sprig and cherry.
