Product Launch - IRELAND: Teeling Whiskey Company's Poitín

Independent Irish whiskey maker, the Teeling Whiskey Company, has launched a new Premium Poitín bottling to showcase the Original Spirit of Ireland. Poitín is a clear Irish spirit famous for its alcohol strength. In homage to this ancient Irish spirit, the Teeling Whiskey Company has released a contemporary and modern bottling of Poitín to help bring this uniquely Irish product out of the shadows.

Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a derivative of the Irish word pota, meaning ‘pot’. Normally distilled from locally-produced cereals or potatoes, it is one of the strongest alcoholic drinks in the world and for centuries was classified as illegal in Ireland. Poitín is one of the most long-established spirits in the world with a rich and varied history and has traditionally been exclusively associated with Ireland.

Jack Teeling, founder of the Teeling Whiskey Company, comments: “Poitín is at the heart of Irish spirits and Irish whiskey in particular. Over the years it has been demonised because it was illegally produced and the end product lacked consistency, quality and credibility. With the emergence of the interest in non-aged whiskies in the US and desire of mixologists to have strong flavoursome white spirits, the opportunity for a legitimate, high-quality bottling of Poitín is greater than ever. We have produced a quality Poitín product which will allow consumers to enjoy this ancient Irish product with confidence.”

The Teeling Whiskey Company’s first Poitín release consists of a combination of double distilled spirit made from malted barley in traditional copper pot stills and triple distilled spirit made from maize in modern column stills. This enables consumers to taste the new make spirit, that after maturing for three years in oak barrels, makes up many of the leading modern Irish whiskey brands.

Bottled straight from the still with no maturation produces a surprisingly smooth spirit even for one that is bottled at 61.5% abv. Poitín like any quality white spirit lends itself to be consumed in a variety of ways, neat, with water, with mixers and as a component of cocktails but due to its alcohol strength it should be enjoyed sensibly and in moderation.

Original source: Company Release