|
|
Release Notes
A private label bottling by Trader Joe's of a 4 year old Cooley Irish Single Malt.
Yours Truly
3rd Party Tasting Notes
The nose on this is fruity and malty with some sherry (though the label says this is aged in bourbon casks) and a bit of peat as well.
The palate starts off with dried fruit, sherry and malt, quickly yielding to peat smoke which gradually dominates along with some salty notes that are typical of peated whiskeys.
The finish has fruit on the nose but peat on the tongue.
I have to say that given my experience with Trader Joe's private label whiskeys, I wasn't expecting much, but this is a surprisingly good whiskey. It is nicely balanced with distinctive notes of fruit, malt and peat which make it wonderfully drinkable (and I don't care what the label says, there is definitely some sherry in there). I'm guessing this is a vatting of the malts that go into Tyrconnell and Connemara. In fact, I think I like it better than the standard issue of either of those malts.
TJ's deserves some kudos for going for a non-traditional flavor profile for their store label Irish Whiskey. I'm guessing they will hear some complaints from people who aren't used to this range of flavor in their Jameson.
LAWS Rating: B
The palate starts off with dried fruit, sherry and malt, quickly yielding to peat smoke which gradually dominates along with some salty notes that are typical of peated whiskeys.
The finish has fruit on the nose but peat on the tongue.
I have to say that given my experience with Trader Joe's private label whiskeys, I wasn't expecting much, but this is a surprisingly good whiskey. It is nicely balanced with distinctive notes of fruit, malt and peat which make it wonderfully drinkable (and I don't care what the label says, there is definitely some sherry in there). I'm guessing this is a vatting of the malts that go into Tyrconnell and Connemara. In fact, I think I like it better than the standard issue of either of those malts.
TJ's deserves some kudos for going for a non-traditional flavor profile for their store label Irish Whiskey. I'm guessing they will hear some complaints from people who aren't used to this range of flavor in their Jameson.
LAWS Rating: B
Sku, Recent Eats Blog & LA Whisky Society
Nose: Light and malty with a hint of new leather (evoking peat but in a very non-Islay way). Slightly lemony. A bit grainy with a very slight floral top note. A little dried fruit.
Palate: Nice medium body. Malt heavy, lightly lemony, slightly biscuity. This is a bit earthy and oily as well (again, in a non-Islay way).
Finish: A bit of alcohol heat - cinnamon and pepper with a touch of chili oil. Malt heavy, a little biscuity, some faint notes of shiso and mint.
This is a really interesting whiskey. It's got some of that earthy, oily, industrial funkiness of my favorite Islays, but it's done in this restrained, approachable style. It's set against a good, hearty maltiness and it just works. And for the price, it's a no-brainer.
Rating: B
Palate: Nice medium body. Malt heavy, lightly lemony, slightly biscuity. This is a bit earthy and oily as well (again, in a non-Islay way).
Finish: A bit of alcohol heat - cinnamon and pepper with a touch of chili oil. Malt heavy, a little biscuity, some faint notes of shiso and mint.
This is a really interesting whiskey. It's got some of that earthy, oily, industrial funkiness of my favorite Islays, but it's done in this restrained, approachable style. It's set against a good, hearty maltiness and it just works. And for the price, it's a no-brainer.
Rating: B
Tim, LA Whiskey Society
The Bottler: Trader Joe"s
| Established: 1958 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 800 S Shamrock Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016-6346, USA |
| → website |
Trader Joe"s is named after its founder, Joe Coulombe. The chain began in 1958 as a Greater Los Angeles area chain of "Pronto Market" convenience stores. The original Pronto Markets were similar to 7-Eleven stores, so similar Coulombe felt the competition with 7-Eleven would be ruinous. He is said to have developed the idea of the Trader Joe South Seas motif while on vacation in the Caribbean. He had noticed that Americans were traveling more and returning home with tastes for food and wine they had trouble satisfying in supermarkets of the time. The first store named "Trader Joe"s" opened its doors in 1967. This store, on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California, remains in operation. In response to competition from 7-Eleven, the chain differentiated its stores" offerings and doubled the floor space in 1967. In the first few decades of operation, some of the stores offered fresh meats provided by butchers who leased space in the stores. Trader Joe"s at one time had sandwich shops, freshly cut cheese, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Theo Albrecht bought the company in 1979. Coulombe was succeeded by John Shields in 1989. Shields retired in 2001, turning the reins over to Dan Bane. Shields still does consulting for the company.
Trader Joe"s is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. As of April 2010, Trader Joe"s had a total of 340 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 24 other states and Washington, D.C. Trader Joe"s was founded by Joe Coulombe and is currently owned by a family trust set up by German businessman Theo Albrecht, one of the two brothers behind the German supermarket chain Aldi.
Trivia:
- According to BusinessWeek, Trader Joe"s pays above-union wages and generous bonuses. It contributes an additional 15.4% of each worker"s gross pay into a company-funded retirement plan. As of 2004, pay for entry-level part-timers was $8 to $10 an hour; first-year supervisors average more than $40,000 a year.
- A Business Week article about the store noted that, between 1990 and 2001, the chain quintupled the store number and increased its profits by ten times. Supermarket News estimates that Trader Joe"s total sales for 2009 were $8 billion, which gave it a ranking of No. 21 on the list of "SN"s Top 75 Retailers for 2010."
- The May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports ranked Trader Joe"s the second-best supermarket chain in the nation, after Wegmans.
- In June 2009 MSN Money released its third annual Customer Service Hall of Fame survey results. Trader Joe"s ranks 2nd in customer service.
- Ethisphere Magazine named Trader Joe"s one of the most ethical companies in the United States in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
from Wikipedia
The Distillery: Cooley Distillery
| Established: 1987 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Cooley Distillery, Riverstown, Cooley, Co. Louth, Ireland |
| → website |
What makes Cooley"s whiskey distillery distinctive is their use of small copper pot stills with very large necks. These cause the spirits to take 50 percent longer to pass through, and the distillers believe that the result is a more refined product. In addition, many Cooley brand whiskeys are distilled only twice as opposed to the more common Irish method of distilling the spirits three times. This gives Cooley"s products much more flavor than most Irish whiskeys. The whiskeys are matured in the 200 year old granite warehouses of Kilbeggan Distillery located in County Westmeath, some 60 miles away.
Cooley produces malt, grain, and blended whiskeys, as well as producing whiskey"s for other companies to brand, market and sell.
The distillery uses only Irish barley and has its own spring water source coming from the Sliabh na Gloch river high up in the Cooley Mountains.
The distillery produces Kilbeggan and Lockes whiskeys, as well as Connemara single malt, Ireland"s only peated single malt whiskey, Tyrconnell single malt and Greenore, Ireland"s oldest single grain whiskey. Other products include Michael Collins single malt, and a Michael Collins blended version. Cooley is the distillery that produces Origine Irish Whiskey sold in the US at Albertson Supermarkets.
Cooley Distillery is the only independent, Irish-owned whiskey distillery in Ireland, converted in 1987 from an older industrial potato ethanol plant by John Teeling. The Distillery is located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth on Ireland"s east coast.
Trivia:
- Cooley"s products have won over 100 awards in the past ten years, including gold medals at all the top spirit competitions.
- Cooley was the first Irish distillery awarded for outstanding contribution to the spirits industry in the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
from Wikipedia