Pike Creek 10 Year
Pike Creek is a relatively newer Canadian spirit that first saw light of day several years ago when the spirit was finished in Port casks and released by Corby Distillers along with Lot 40. After a couple of years, reportedly due to sourcing issues, the Port casks were replaced with rum barrels. This attention to finishing is in part due to their master blender, Dr. Don Livermore, whose PhD is appropriately enough in wood science. This focus on the wood gives the distillery another element to make their whisky stand out. Pike Creek has been labeled by some reviewers as a “high-end” whisky, and maybe that is true when compared to regular Canadian blends, but we sure hope this attention to details becomes the new normal.
Teeling Small Batch
The Teeling name has a long history in the world of Irish whiskey, beginning in 1782 on Marrowbone Lane in Dublin. Teeling has been part of the Irish whiskey resurgence, as they opened a distillery in 2015 in Dublin, the first seen in that city since 1976. While their whiskey is currently sourced from the Cooley distillery, the plan is to use their own stock once it is ready. The Teeling Small Batch bottling is their flagship expression and was finished in ex-rum barrels, something not often seen in Irish whiskies. They also have a single grain and several single malt offerings.