Head to head · unusually close flavour match
Nikka From The Barrel vs Teeling Small Batch
No flavour axis separates these two, so the choice is price and occasion.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Nikka From The Barrel | Teeling Small Batch | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blended malt | Irish blend |
| Origin | Japan | Dublin, Ireland |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Strength | 51.4% ABV | 46% ABV |
| Cask | Various, married before bottling | Ex-bourbon barrel, Central American rum cask |
| Bottle | 500 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £45 | £32 |
| Per 10cl | £9.00 | £4.57 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £175 | £99 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | No |
What separates them
Different countries: Nikka From The Barrel from Japan, Teeling Small Batch from Dublin, Ireland.
Nikka From The Barrel is a blended malt, Teeling Small Batch a irish blend.
Neither carries an age statement, so neither discloses its youngest spirit.
Cask as each producer describes it: Nikka From The Barrel in various, married before bottling, Teeling Small Batch in ex-bourbon barrel and central american rum cask.
Chill filtration: Nikka From The Barrel does not say, Teeling Small Batch is not.
Nikka From The Barrel: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Nikka From The Barrel is £13 dearer a bottle than Teeling Small Batch.
Different bottle sizes, 500 ml against 700 ml, so per 10cl it is £9.00 against £4.57.
Strength keeps that ordering: £99 a litre of pure alcohol for Teeling Small Batch against £175.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Nikka From The Barrel is 24th cheapest and Teeling Small Batch 3rd cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Nikka From The Barrel | Teeling Small Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 2 | 0 |
| Sweet | 6 | 7 |
| Fruity | 5 | 6 |
| Spicy | 7 | 5 |
| Woody | 6 | 4 |
| Sherried | 4 | 3 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 8 | 7 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is peaty, 2 against 0.
Level only on cereal, 5 each.
Each bottle in its own right
Nikka From The Barrel
Dense and spicy at 51.4%. Punches far above its price and its 500ml bottle.
Sold in a 500ml bottle, so per-litre it is dearer than the shelf price suggests.
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 →Both listed for highball; only Nikka From The Barrel for value and gift; only Teeling Small Batch for value at 46% and first irish whiskey.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Nikka From The Barrel and Teeling Small Batch: nikka.com, teelingwhiskey.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.