Teeling Whiskey continues to intrigue Irish Whiskey aficionados with their latest release from the ‘Wonders of Wood’ series by using casks from unconventional locations.

Teeling Wonders of Wood Third Edition: Virgin Swedish Oak

While Sweden might not be top of mind for Irish Whiskey cask maturation, Teeling’s Master Blender, Alex Chasko, embraces the unexpected. “Alex draws inspiration from a variety of sources,” shared Brand Ambassador Rob Caldwell during a special tasting event at Dead Rabbit in New York City. “A Swedish manager at our visitor center sparked the idea. Curious if Sweden produced casks, they did some research, found a supplier and had her initiate contact in Swedish to inquire about purchasing.”

This curiosity led to the creation of the ‘Third Edition Virgin Swedish Oak’, following the ‘Virgin Chinkapin Oak’ and ‘Virgin Portuguese Oak’ releases. This line features Teeling’s Single Pot Still whiskey, crafted from an equal mix of malted and unmalted barley, using both white wine and distillers yeast for fermentation, followed by triple distillation. These whiskeys are then aged in carefully selected casks from across the globe.

“I’m getting a lot of delicate Scandinavian spices,” says Caldwell while tasting. “Wormwood, clove and cinnamon. When we first tasted it I thought maybe I was just supporting my own stereotypes of what I thought I should be getting. But when we tasted it in Sweden the people there were saying the same thing. It opens up the question, are those flavors present in the geography and in their woods? And then does that then influence their cuisine? Or is it vice versa?”

Teeling Wonders of Wood Third Edition: Virgin Swedish Oak

The series has steered Teeling towards trying out many different woods in search of an edge to provide new flavors for fans of their Whiskey. “You can go with Chestnut and all these other unique interesting woods, but even subcategories of oak provide such a diversity of flavor,” says Caldwell. “People are starting to look for that. A little less traditional and a little less brand loyal and a little more open.” And as for some Irish casks? “We didn’t get the flavor profile from Irish oak we were hoping for,” says Caldwell. “Which is unfortunate being that we’re an Irish Whiskey.”

The Irish oak trees will still benefit from the series however. Even though the casks for this release are from Sweden, every entry in the Wonders of Wood series benefits local forests. Teeling has teamed up with the Tree Council of Ireland to replant an acre of native Irish trees across the country. “We know it’s not as simple as take a tree, put it in the ground and taking a photo,” says Caldwell. “Working with professionals gives us the real chance to reforest an area.”

Brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling established their whiskey brand in 2012, with their lineage tracing back to an old Dublin distillery from 1782. By 2015, they inaugurated the first new distillery in Dublin in over a century.

Discussing future plans for the Wonders of Wood series, the loose Irish Whiskey regulations allow for creativity. Caldwell explains, “Scotland wrote the book, creating strict rules for what qualifies as Single Malt Scotch. Ireland followed, albeit loosely, stating merely that it must be aged in wood. This broad directive offers significant freedom, and we believe we are just beginning to explore the possibilities of Irish Whiskey.”

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