Head to head · unusually close flavour match
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Teeling Small Batch
One axis separates these two: sherried, 6 against 3.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Teeling Small Batch | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Irish blend |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Dublin, Ireland |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 46% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Ex-bourbon barrel, Central American rum cask |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £32 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £4.57 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £99 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | No |
What separates them
Different countries: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Scotland, Teeling Small Batch from Dublin, Ireland.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is a single malt, Teeling Small Batch a irish blend.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old states 12 years; Teeling Small Batch states none.
Shared base of ex-bourbon barrel. The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old adds oloroso sherry butt; Teeling Small Batch adds central american rum cask.
Chill filtration: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old does not say, Teeling Small Batch is not.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is £18 dearer a bottle than Teeling Small Batch.
Strength keeps that ordering: £99 a litre of pure alcohol for Teeling Small Batch against £166.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and Teeling Small Batch 3rd cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Teeling Small Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet | 8 | 7 |
| Fruity | 6 | 6 |
| Spicy | 4 | 5 |
| Woody | 5 | 4 |
| Sherried | 6 | 3 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 7 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is sweet, 8 against 7.
Identical on peaty, fruity and cereal.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Teeling Small Batch
Vanilla and spiced rum sweetness at 46%, non-chill-filtered. Remarkable for the money.
Fully aged in ex-bourbon, then married in Central American rum casks for 'up to 12 months' — note that is a ceiling, not a fixed period.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift and after dinner, Teeling Small Batch for value at 46%, first irish whiskey and highball.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Teeling Small Batch: thebalvenie.com, teelingwhiskey.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.