Teeling Rising Reserve No. 5: Five Finishes, and Pedro Ximénez to Close

The final chapter

Teeling is ending the Rising Reserve series. According to the distillery, Teeling 21 Years Old Rising Reserve No. 5 is the final chapter of the award winning series: a single malt that matured for 18 years in ex bourbon barrels and then for three years in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

The key facts: 46% ABV, non chill filtered, 70cl, 6,000 bottles. In its own online shop, Teeling lists it at €225. The whiskey will also appear in Ireland and in selected international markets.

Five casks, one frame

The series is most appealing as a whole, because age and strength stayed the same: all five whiskeys are 21 years old and bottled at 46% ABV. What changed above all was the last cask. No. 1 was finished in Carcavelos casks, No. 2 in Marsala, No. 3 in Ruby Port, No. 4 in white wine casks and now No. 5 in Pedro Ximénez.

In our view, that makes the series more than a collection of handsome bottles: you can rarely follow so clearly how much a long finish can do to a whiskey of this age.

Sweet cask, dry finish

Pedro Ximénez is regarded as one of the sweetest and densest cask types, so you might expect a sticky ending here. Teeling describes something else. On the nose, ripe apples and red fruits, roasted nuts and rum raisin, with fruitcake and brandy butter. On the palate, dark chocolate, figs, sultanas and stewed pear, with toffee, clove and nutmeg. The finish is long and gently warming, with dried fruits, caramelised sugar and stewed berries.

In its short description, the distillery even speaks of a dry finish. Whether that sweet cask type and this dryness come together in the glass is, in our view, the most exciting question about this whiskey.

Worth doing the maths

One more detail for those who like precision: the Teeling distillery in Dublin only opened in 2015. By our reckoning, a 21 year old cannot have been distilled there. Teeling does not say exactly where it was.

A closing evening in Dublin

To mark the close, Master Distiller Alex Chasko and Global Brand Ambassador Rob Caldwell are hosting an evening at the distillery in Dublin on 18 November at 19:30, tasting all five whiskeys. Tickets are available online. Teeling 21 Years Old Rising Reserve No. 5, like the four before it, has its own page on Spiritory, where you can place a bid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Teeling 21 Years Old Rising Reserve No. 5?

The fifth and last whiskey in the Rising Reserve series: a 21 year old single malt that matured for 18 years in ex bourbon barrels and three years in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

How many bottles are there and what does it cost?

The run is 6,000 bottles. In its own online shop, Teeling lists it at €225.

How do the five whiskeys in the series differ?

Above all in the finish: Carcavelos, Marsala, Ruby Port, white wine and Pedro Ximénez. All five are 21 years old and bottled at 46% ABV.

What does it taste like?

The official notes name ripe apples, rum raisin and fruitcake on the nose, dark chocolate, figs and toffee on the palate, and a long, gently warming finish.