Teeling Stout Cask (Galway Bay Two Hundred Fathoms Imperial Stout)

I appreciate the creative efforts Teeling is making with the Spirit of Dublin series. It presents as a deeper gold with strong spices, yet the Irish whiskey character persists... hints of raisins, maybe orange... I suspect cocoa. I second-guessed myself, but I detected a rum-like quality, and sure enough, it was aged in rum barrels, imparting those flavors. I anticipate enjoying a measure of this during the winter by a fire.

This is the stout beer barrel finished version of Teeling Small Batch from Galway Bay brewery. For my palate, this finishing adds a chocolate or coffee note. It masks the sharp spice of the original, while maintaining complexity. In my opinion, it's superior to the original Teeling blend and Jameson Caskmates Stout.

Aroma: sweet floral honey Taste: smooth, oily texture. Faint notes of caramel. Aftertaste: at the very end, a slight bitter dryness from the barrel. I can't detect the stout barrel's influence anywhere, which is unfortunate.

Soft, raisins, butterscotch and coffee in the finish. Remarkable.

Attended an event in 2020. Quite unusual.

NYC 9/3/2022 Excellent