|
|
Release Notes
Thought peat was all about Islay? Think (or perhaps that should be 'drink') again. All Islay fans owe it to themselves to check out Connemara from the splendid Cooley distillery.
The Whisky Exchange
From some of the first distillates of Cooley's Peated Single Malt comes the small batch bottling of Connemara 12 Year Old. Every year a handful of casks are handpicked by Noel Sweeney, Cooley's Master Blender, that make up around 5,000 bottles of Connemara 12 Year Old that are released on a yearly basis.
Cooley Distillery
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Colour: pale gold.
Nose: this one is obviously peatier and much closer to a classical Islayer. Less 'fruitily' Irish than the no age version. It's also a little more mashy and slightly yeasty, with hints of fresh wood and apple skin. Quite simple again but the peatiness is enjoyable, as well as the freshness.
Mouth: it suffers from its low ABV but the profile is very nice, much more on barley and peat than the NAS, with also a little coffee, kiwi juice, oak and a good deal of nutmeg that joins the pepper, especially at the longer finish.
A good introductory peaty malt to pour to your 'non-whisky' guests.
79 points.
Nose: this one is obviously peatier and much closer to a classical Islayer. Less 'fruitily' Irish than the no age version. It's also a little more mashy and slightly yeasty, with hints of fresh wood and apple skin. Quite simple again but the peatiness is enjoyable, as well as the freshness.
Mouth: it suffers from its low ABV but the profile is very nice, much more on barley and peat than the NAS, with also a little coffee, kiwi juice, oak and a good deal of nutmeg that joins the pepper, especially at the longer finish.
A good introductory peaty malt to pour to your 'non-whisky' guests.
79 points.
Whisky Fun
Nose: Lactic, sour milk and buttermilk. Then a grassy note (camomille and lemon grass).
Palate: Sweet but with a sour note. Buttery. Creamy cheese. Quite watery at midpalate. Gets fruity with water.
Finish: Soothing, nutty with a hint of spice.
Comment: That lactic note overwhelms nose and palate. Not sure that a dairy whisky is something to look forward to! Surprisingly, a dash of water makes more palatable.
Rating: 7.25/10
Palate: Sweet but with a sour note. Buttery. Creamy cheese. Quite watery at midpalate. Gets fruity with water.
Finish: Soothing, nutty with a hint of spice.
Comment: That lactic note overwhelms nose and palate. Not sure that a dairy whisky is something to look forward to! Surprisingly, a dash of water makes more palatable.
Rating: 7.25/10
Martine Nouet, Whisky Magazine #63
Nose: Intensely scented. Cut grass, green leaves, dried apple and a touch of peat. Young and oaky.
Palate: Lychee and soft fruits. Light almond note and fennel seed then nutmeg and oak. Mashed banana and light smoke. Balanced.
Finish: Gentle and smoked.
Comment: Proof if it were needed that Cooley is now really up and running. Atypical for an Irish whiskey insofar as it is peated (as Bushmills was until the 70s).
Rating: 8/10
Palate: Lychee and soft fruits. Light almond note and fennel seed then nutmeg and oak. Mashed banana and light smoke. Balanced.
Finish: Gentle and smoked.
Comment: Proof if it were needed that Cooley is now really up and running. Atypical for an Irish whiskey insofar as it is peated (as Bushmills was until the 70s).
Rating: 8/10
Dave Broom, Whisky Magazine
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