Time for some whiskey, and a very unique cask type today: Amburana wood. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard about this wood type. It seems it’s a Brazillian type of hardwood used originally to age cachaça. Irish distilleries have an edge over the Scotch distillers as they are able to use all sorts of wood types and not only Oak – pretty cool.
This cask is bottled for the Duchess , aged 15 years in virgin Amburana cask – very excited to get to try how this unique sort of wood can affect the Irish distillate. let’s try it then…
Teeling 15 yo 2006 – Amburana , 57,8%, OB for The Duchess 2022, virgin Amburana cask #6210
Nose: A nice combination of baked apples and coconut shreds, there’s an abundance of spice, with ginger powder, aniseed and cinnamon bark, a touch of marzipan/almonds alongside icing sugar, sweet raisins, and buttery fresh croissant. Quite inviting.
Palate: Bigger and a bit more bitter than the nose at first, then the sweeter cinnamon pastries / baked apples arrive, there’s plenty of dried coconut, some licorice, and a fair amount of wood spices, quite hot and even earthy at times, with the sweet fruit in the background. A wee note of red grapefruit as well. A very interesting profile indeed!
Finish: Apple sweetness alongside wood spices – mainly on pepper, licorice, and cinnamon, and a very faint hint of grapefruit pith.
Conclusion: A very interesting and yummy whiskey, with lots of sweet baked apples, spices, and a nice twist. highly enjoyable! Good choice of cask there by the Duchess.