Widely available

Tentatively recommended

For the details…

For a nation with the world’s best claim to being the birthplace of whiskey, Ireland still struggles to get its national spirit the same respect and recognition as Scotland, the United States, and arguably even Japan. Although Ireland is in the midst of a whiskey distilling boom that matches that in the world at large, and although Irish whiskey is winning more plaudits in recent years than it had been around the turn of the millennium, it remains an underappreciated category.

Despite having more Irish blood than Scots, my own whisky preferences lie with Scotland, and I am probably more guilty than your average whisky-lover of overlooking Ireland’s produce. That said, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and posting a review of a Scotch today ranks somewhere near wearing orange, dressing up as a Black and Tan, or writing a poem celebrating Oliver Cromwell as an insult to my proudly Catholic forebears.

So…

Connemara…an atypical Irish whiskey, sure, but one that at least hails from the Republic. Connemara is distilled at the Cooley Distillery in the border county of Louth. The distillery was converted from producing neutral alcohol by Irish distilling entrepreneur John Teeling in 1987. The distillery uses both pot and column stills, and produces a variety of celebrated Irish brands, most double (rather than triple) distilled. It is currently owned by Japanese distilling giant Beam Suntory.

Connemara is one such oddity, being triply strange for an Irish whiskey. First, it is a single malt in a country mainly known for producing blends from unmalted barley. Second, it is double, rather than triple distilled. Third, it is peated, which until relatively recently was almost unheard of in modern Irish distilling.

Weird or no, Connemara is delicious whiskey. The character feels identifiably Irish, with characteristic notes of linseed oil, however there’s a noticeable peatiness, too, manifesting mainly as a mineralic note and some smoked deli meats. It’s dangerously drinkable stuff, and the only knock is the muted 40% abv and the probable use of chill-filtration. The bottle reviewed here was an older edition, and sold for a very modest price (about $30); the brand has subsequently been repackaged and the price point has drifted upwards. 

Nose: Identifiably Irish. Linseed oil. Freshly oiled baseball glove. Lots of fragrant, slate-y peat. Lemondrop. Varnish. Glue.

Body: Light, but a little oily.

Palate: Smoky, like prosciutto, but not overpowering by any stretch. Fresh and grassy, like high summer “grass straws”. Gently malty. Rice bran oil. Mild, appealing and gentle with the slate and smoke as a foundation. Extremely balanced, and possibly the most drinkable whisky/whiskey out there.

Finish: Mildly earthy, drying. Short to medium.

Score: 94/100

Who should buy it?: Scotch lovers trying to find something acceptable to drink on St. Patrick’s Day?

Overall thoughts: A delicious, dangerously quaffable, crowd-pleaser. You should definitely try it, and if you come across a bottle for $30 or under, it’s well worth buying.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: n/a

Bottle Code: 18/06/13 L13076

Presentation: Unspecified

Details: n/a

Price: $30-45

Availability: This version isn’t around anymore, however the current edition is widely available.

Distillery Information:

Region: Republic of Ireland

Location: County Louth

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1987

Owner: Beam Suntory

Website: www.cooleywhiskey.com

Capacity: n/a

Plant Summary: n/a

Total expressions sampled: 1

Overall distillery score: n/a

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