Eighteen years in casks that previously held bourbon, followed by three years in Pedro Ximénez casks. For the final chapter of its Rising Reserve series, Dublin-based Teeling has given this second cask type time to leave its mark on its 21-year-old single malt. Introduced on 10 November 2026 by Irish Whiskey Magazine, this fifth release brings the series to a close. Teeling has announced 6,000 bottles, bottled at 46% ABV and non-chill-filtered.
What three years in sherry casks change in a whiskey
Two maturations for one single malt
The number “21” refers here to the whiskey’s full ageing period. It first spends 18 years in bourbon casks, before continuing to mature for three years in casks that previously held Pedro Ximénez, a sweet Spanish sherry. This process is known as a finish: the whiskey is transferred to another cask, where it continues to develop in contact with the wood. No sherry is added to the bottle.
In its tasting notes, Teeling mentions baked fig, caramelised fruit, dark chocolate and pastry spices, with a dry finish. These are the distillery’s own descriptors. They offer a guide to understanding the cask choice, without making it possible to attribute each aroma to the sherry alone: the distillate, the first cask and the time spent in each all contribute to the result.
Where can you discover cask work in Dublin?
Stop at Teeling in the Liberties
In Newmarket, the Teeling Distillery offers a practical starting point for understanding the journey from still to bottle. There is one simple question to ask during the tour: at what point is it decided that a whiskey should be moved to a different cask? It draws attention back to the choices made before the tasting notes, and to what is being preserved from the distillate’s original character.
If you book a tour, check which whiskeys are included in your chosen option: the release of the Rising Reserve does not mean it will be served on tours. To continue exploring the same neighbourhood, our Dublin distilleries and breweries itinerary places Teeling among the other producers in the Liberties.
