The Perfect St. Paddy’s Day Whiskey Is Actually a Rum

The innovative Caribbean craft producer collaborated with Teeling Whiskey to produce a cane spirit that's totally unique.

St. Paddy’s Day is almost upon us, which means it’s time for…rum? Plantation is making the unlikely case with its latest release: Stiggins’ Fancy Smoky Formula. 

The innovative Caribbean craft producer has partnered with Dublin-based Teeling Whiskey to bottle a cane spirit quite unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before. Stiggins’ Fancy Smoky Formula is rum infused with Victoria pineapple that's matured in casks formerly reserved for peated Irish single malt. That time in the barrel has resulted in a rich, marmalade-tinted tipple, which noses with candied tropical fruit but finishes on the tongue with a tickle of treacle and tar.

You might be tempted to chalk up its eccentric complexity to the luck of the Irish, but this composition required careful consideration and planning. It began with a meeting of the minds between Plantation master blender (and founder) Alexandre Gabriel and Alex Chasko, master distiller for Teeling. “I like his work because it's both intense and elegant,” says Gabriel of his collaborative partner. 

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The two originally linked up back in 2018 when Teeling released a small batch Irish Whiskey finished in Plantation barrels. It was well-received by connoisseurs and casual consumers alike. 

“The rum casks added a distinctive tropical note of ripe pineapple and banana to the whiskey,” recalls Chasko. 

Now the shoe is on the other foot. Or, y'know, the liquid is in the other barrel. And that barrel once belonged to Blackpitts, a rare peated Irish expression which takes its name from the ancient muck that accumulated in the historic Liberties district of Dublin. Throughout the 20th century, this part of the city was actually the global hub of whiskey production. Today, Teeling calls it home. 

“These particular barrels work so well with Stiggins’ Fancy Smoky Formula because it gives the rum a nice roasted, smoky pineapple flavor,” adds Gabriel. “Alex and I working together is like a match on gasoline, which I love.”

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We assume that’s a good thing, because the rum itself certainly is. It’s also eminently approachable at 80 proof and entirely affordable with a $35 price tag. 

“It’s always great to collaborate with another master blender or distiller because you gain a glimpse into the way your peers work,” adds Chasko. If you're lucky, hopefully there's an exchange of the magic we each have in our day-to-day jobs. Subtle differences in opinions or techniques might look insignificant, but they remind us of how there are several different approaches to solve a problem.” 

This St. Paddy’s Day you might just consider making a toast to teamwork. Stiggins’ Fancy Smoky Formula is the perfect pour for the occasion. It's now available in select US markets as a limited release.

[$32; wine.com]